For the second time in three years, Jupiter softball’s season has ended one game short of the championship.
The Warriors fell to Hagerty, 7-0, in Tuesday’s Class 7A state semifinal
Jupiter freshman Avalowe Fitzgerald, who has been stellar all season for the Warriors, ran into trouble in the bottom of the third inning. Facing bases loaded with zero outs, Nisa Fatzinger-Rodriguez lined a bases-clearing double into the gap, giving the Huskies the advantage they needed.
“Great season for sure and I am very proud of this group,” Jupiter coach Steve Ahern said. “Couldn’t get anything going our way offensively — when we barreled it up it was at someone.”
That 3-0 disadvantage would sit with the team during a rain delay that spanned over an hour before the game could resume in the fourth inning.
Hagerty wasn’t done, though, adding a two-run home run and then another two runs in the later innings to build a 7-0 lead.
Jupiter’s season ends at 22-4, though the future looks bright for the program under Ahern. While Sienna Rodriguez, Sam Basen, Sasha Seidel are all graduating following successful high-school careers, Jupiter is returning a number of key contributors.
Apart from Fitzgerald, who has the makings of annual Player-of-the-Year potential after a stellar freshman campaign, the Warriors boast an uncanny Class of 2028, with eight sophomores on the active roster.
Alex Peterman is a high school sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at apeterman@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jupiter softball’s state title hopes end in semifinal
Reporting by Alexander Peterman, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
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