BARTOW — Bartow has kept winning in recent weeks to capture the district title and reach the region finals, but Bartow coach Glenn Rutenbar still was looking for his team to play a complete game.
The Yellow Jackets rose to the occasion in their biggest game — to this point — of the season.
Rutenbar saw that complete game, and it was more than enough in Bartow’s 8-0 victory over Melbourne on Thursday night in the Class 6A, Region 2 finals.
Bartow will play in the Class 6A state semifinals finals May 22 at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood. It will be the Yellow Jackets’ 20 appearance in the state tournament, the 18th time under Rutenbar. Bartow will be looking for its 10th state title and ninth under Rutenbar.
“It’s amazing,” said Bartow senior Alyssa Hillman, who won a state title as a freshman. “I’ve talked about it with Bailee (Ellis) a lot. I want a lot for these girls. They’re family, and I want a lot of them to experience states like I did both freshman and sophomore year. It’s so fun. It’s such a thing to like a great thing to do with such close people.”
Bartow answered the bell in every facet. What more could a coach ask for. The Yellow Jackets got stellar pitching from Ryleigh Knowlton. They had clutch hits, played small ball, ripped extra-base hits, including a home run, showed aggressive base running and played solid defense.
“That was what I was waiting for,” Rutenbar said. “I told them before the game I said I’d like to get a complete game. We haven’t one in awhile. One of the biggest keys in the game was they had base load in the, and they didn’t score.”
That came in the third inning with Bartow leading 1-0, Melbourne loaded the bases with no outs on a walk and two singles.
Then on a 2-2 county, Hailey Cottrill took ball three. However, thinking it was ball four, she started trotting to first base, and the other batters began to advance. With Tyra Powell more than halfway home, catch Lexi Hayford chased her down and tagged her out.
Knowlton then struck out Cottrill and the next batter to end the inning.
Bartow built on that momentum in the bottom of the third in what looked to be a modest inning. Niamah Johnson and Ellis hit back-to-back, one-out singles. Knowlton, whose two-out double in the first inning drove in Ellis for the first run, hit a sacrifice fly for the second out.
Maddie Hamilton followed with a single, then Hillman slammed her first career home run over the center field fence for the 5-0 lead.
“It was pretty amazing,” Hillman said. “I’ve never hit a home run, so it’s pretty great to do it now, my senior year, in this big of a game. I’ve had a lot of hits that have just like looked like it, so I just was like praying and hoping just to get whoever was on base home.”
That was more than enough runs for Knowlton, who finished with a three-hitter with 12 strikeouts.
Bartow padded its lead with three runs more runs and finished with nine hits. Johnson, Ellis and Hillman all had two hits, Johnson, Knowlton and Hillman each drove in two runs, and Ellis scored twice.
“It feels amazing,” Ellis said. “I’m so blessed to be surrounded by this group of girls. I’m so proud of her (Hillman) coming through clutch. That’s a clutch hit. The ballgame could have turned either way, and we came and handled business like we’re not supposed to.”
4A-2: Lake Wales blanks Eau Gallie for trip to Final Four
Lake Wales junior Zamirya McBurrows took a no-hitter into the fourth inning and finished with a one-hit shutout as the Highlanders defeated Eau Gallie, 3-0, in the Class 4A, Region 2 finals.
The victory avenges last season’s loss to Eau Gallie and sends Lake Wales to the state tournament for the 10th time in school history, the second-most final four trips in softball behind Bartow. The Highlanders will play in the semifinals on May 21.
“I’m just really excited,” Lake Wales coach Mike Settle said. “I feel fortunate that we’re going back to the state tournament.”
Although the Commodores had just one hit off McBurrows, they did manage seven baserunners after five walks one and error. However, McBurrows came up with clutch pitching when needed, and her defense was solid, turning an inning ending double play in the first inning with two runners on.
Lake Wales took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Mattie Cockrell singled home Paiten Dunaway.
The Highlanders added two more in the sixth inning. Karsyn Maddox singled home Sydney Green, and courtesy runner Raleigh Prine scored on Kami Velazquez’s infield groundout.
3A-3: McKeel rallies to defeat Holy Names
Trailing by a run, McKeel rallied for two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and Chloe Lanier retired the final batter with teh bases loaded in the seventh as the Wildcats defeated Tampa Holy Names, 2-1, in the Class 3A, Region 3 region finals.
McKeel will play in the state semifinals on Thursday. It will be the fifth state tournament for the Wildcats.
McKeel’s game-winning rally in the sixth began after the first two batters struck out. Lanier and Madyson Marion hit back-to-back singles. Lanier stole home to tie the score then Kamryn Scobey singled home the game-winning run.
After a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh, Mckeel recorded two outs, leaving Holy Names with a runner on second. A single and a walk, however, loaded the bases but Lanier got Ella Mosley to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the game.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Softball: Bartow, Lake Wales, McKeel advance to state tournament
Reporting by Roy Fuoco, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
