Here’s a roundup of district championship softball games involving Treasure Coast teams played on Wednesday, April 29 and Thursday, April 30.
Four area squads were crowned district champions this week: Master’s Academy, Okeechobee and South Fork, Vero Beach.
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Thursday
District 7-7A
No. 2 Vero Beach 5, No. 1 St. Lucie West Centennial 4: Aquaria Baines has juggled the demands of steering the Vero Beach softball team while preparing for the birth of her second child. The head coach is expecting to welcome the child within the next couple of weeks.
“It means the world to me that I can still come out here everyday, contribute towards (the players), but also they’ve given me back a little bit of life as well to carry a healthy baby all the way to term,” said Baines, who previously played for Vero before enjoying a collegiate career at Keiser, “It’s been challenging, but it’s been very rewarding.”
Her players gifted her with an item that wasn’t on the registry: a district title.
Thanks to a five-run third inning and outstanding situational pitching from sophomore Taylor Stevens, Vero Beach outlasted the host Eagles to capture the program’s first district title since 2022.
Centennial entered the day as the three-time defending district champs and were undefeated in six games against district opponents this season. However, Vero (10-11) did enough to dethrone the champs.
“This is a very emotional moment, I’m very proud of the girls,” Baines said. “I think it took a lot of heart and a lot of effort. Taylor kept us in the game the whole entire time and our girls, they never quit. This is a very huge success for us right now.”
Here’s three takeaways from Thursday evening.
‘Just have to let it go’
Three outs away from the title, Stevens returned to the circle in the bottom of the evening with her team clinging to a one-run lead.
The sophomore admits that her nerves were as high as they’ve been all day. They didn’t get any better after her first offering as an apparent strike was called a ball, leaving her visibly flabbergasted. Facing loads of pressure, Stevens shook off the frustration.
“You can’t control what (the umpire) is doing, you just have to let it go,” she said. “You just have to pitch it to where they’ll hit it, or he’ll make the call.”
With one out, Eagles sophomore Rayne Cohen reached on an error before freshman Serenity Robinson followed with a base hit. Next, sophomore Lauralei Wetherall dropped down a sacrifice bunt, putting the tying run at third base and winning run at second. However, Stevens needed just two pitches to kick off a celebration, as freshman Tynlee Smith lined out to right field to end the game.
Stevens wiggled her way out of trouble down the stretch as Centennial (8-13) stranded runners in scoring position in three of the final four innings. She ended the fourth by inducing a line out to senior shortstop Kylie Williams, who doubled up an Eagles runner at second. Then, she escaped the fifth by getting a fly out with runners on second and third.
“I just really had to trust my defense, I knew they had my back,” the sophomore pitcher said. “I had to work through some pain and just really push through, but I’m just so proud of everything.”
‘It means everything’
Williams has grown to become one of the area’s best players of the past two years.
She batted .364 as a junior with two home runs, nine extra-base hits, 23 RBIs and 27 runs scored. This season, the senior is again Vero’s top offensive performer, leading the team in batting (.387), runs (24), RBIs (18) and doubles (5).
Despite her individual success, the senior was without district title on her resume. She was on the field when Centennial defeated Vero Beach in last season’s district championship game. Returning to the scene of that disappointment, Williams gets to cap her prep career on a high note.
“It means everything, I really wanted it for all the girls,” she said. “We worked so hard for four years. All the practices, all the games, we’ve fought through a lot of adversity and I’m really just proud of the girls.”
Williams contributed the biggest swing of the evening. The visitors already plated two runs in the third before the senior smacked a three-run home run over Eagles freshman Makayla Megnauth to extend their lead. It was Williams’ first home run of 2026.
“The first pitch she threw, I really liked it, but I just got a little under it. So I really was just hunting a pitch that I liked,” Williams said. “I saw a change up that was really just hanging over the plate and I just swung as hard as I could.”
‘Came back and fought strong’
Centennial responded to Vero Beach’s outburst with three runs in the bottom of the third. Megnauth earned a bit of redemption in the sixth with an opposite-field homer to bring the home team to within one.
The Eagles rallied to make it interesting, but they couldn’t cash in late with traffic on the bases.
“The girls came back and fought strong,” Centennial head coach Richard Vasquez said. “We tried as hard as we could, but the end result was that we lost by one.
“I told them that they played an amazing game. They were outstanding, they worked so hard. … They never gave up at any time.”
The Eagles wait to see if they’ve earned their way into the regional postseason. They entered districts ranked seventh in Region 2-7A, just less than three rating points for the final at-large. Ranked eighth in the region, Vero Beach awaits to see if it will play its quarterfinal game at home or on the road.
District 14-4A
No. 2 Okeechobee 7, No. 1 Jensen Beach 5 (F/8): The Brahmans collected their second straight district title, with each victory coming on the road.
However, while last season’s championship was won fairly convincingly, Okeechobee had its back against the wall this time around against the Falcons.
With her team down to its final out, junior infielder Audra Friend came up huge in the clutch with a two-out, two-run base hit to tie the game in the top of the seventh. Then, fellow junior Charisma Micco sent the game into extras by miraculously escaping a jam in the bottom of the frame. The Brahmans scored twice in the eighth before Micco shut the door to close out the night.
“I’m proud because these moments show who has the most heart,” Okeechobee head coach Danny Bonilla said. “I told them whether we have three outs or an out left, we still have a chance to win.”
Tied 3-3 entering the middle innings, Jensen Beach (11-7) surged ahead in the fourth on an RBI groundout from senior Molly Santiago. Fellow senior Izzy Ouellette tacked on another run in the fifth as she launched an opposite-field triple.
The home team maintained its two-run cushion into the seventh and were an out away from victory before the heart of the Brahmans had an answer. Melanie Bonilla mashed a double into the gap to put runners on second and third for Friend.
The junior has come up big before, going 4-for-4 with three doubles, a triple and three RBIs during last year’s district title game against Dr. Joaquin Garcia. But given the situation, Friend delivered the biggest hit of her career, as she roped a line drive to left off Falcons sophomore Riley Boop to tie the game.
“I told myself to stay calm and I went through my whole swing in my mind,” she recalled. “I was just saying, ‘Just wait on the ball, you got it, there’s no pressure and whatever happens happens.’ I got it done.
“I saw a fat meatball right down the middle and I knew I was gonna crush it.”
Okeechobee (15-10) was far from out of the woods even with Friend’s herorics as the Falcons put two runners in scoring position with no outs. One mistake and the chance to repeat is over, but Micco worked her magic.
She first got freshman Lydin Eastman to go around on a check swing for a strikeout. Then, Micco fielded an Ouellette ground ball, looked the runner back to third before firing to first for the second out before striking out Boop to end the seventh.
“I told myself I had to execute,” Micco said.
The visitors quickly capitalized in the eighth.
Senior Janessa Arana was inserted as the ghost runner and moved to third on an error. She scored the go-ahead run following another misplay when a swinging bunt off the bat of sophomore Dyani Kayda got past the third baseman. The Brahmans added to their lead thanks to an RBI grounder from Teyha Nunez.
Micco retired the side in order in the bottom of the eighth.
“It’s like coming into enemy territory,” Friend said. “We lost to them at home earlier in the season. So to come here and win districts in their territory, it felt really good.”
Both teams will play regional quarterfinal games next week. Jensen Beach and Okeechobee began districts ranked fifth and sixth in Region 4-4A, respectively. The Brahmans may move up a spot by virtue of their win over the Falcons.
District 13-1A
No. 2 Master’s Academy 11, No. 1 Merritt Island Christian 0 (F/6): The Patriots picked up their first district title in seven seasons after a run-rule rout of the Cougars on the road.
Master’s Academy (18-7) scored in five of six innings. Seven players on the visiting team accounted for 12 hits, with four players recording multiple hits.
Aubrey Grall led the team both at the plate and in the circle. The sophomore was untouchable, as she allowed just one hit and one walk while striking out 13 through six scoreless innings. She also posted a team-best three hits while driving in a run and scoring twice.
Senior Alison Viersma, eighth grader Scarlett Grall and senior Abigayle Parrott each had two hits. Viersma posted a team-high three RBIs to go with the lone extra-base hit, a double. Scarettl Grall scored three times.
Entering district ranked fourth in Region 4-1A, the Patriots will likely open the regionals at home.
District 13-5A
No. 3 Bayside 4, No. 1 Sebastian River 2: The Sharks were denied back-to-back titles after falling at home to the Bears.
Visit TCPalm.com for a full recap of this game.
Wednesday
District 14-5A
No. 2 South Fork 14, No. 2 Forest Hill 0 (F/5): The Falcons entered Wednesday night with all 16 their games decided by at least 10 runs. Playing in front of their home crowd, the Bulldogs had no trouble making sure that streaking continued. South Fork earned its third consecutive district title in blowout fashion.
The hosts first cracked the scoreboard with two runs in the second inning before exploding for nine in the third and tacking on another three in the fourth.
Rachel Kramer paced the offensive attack. The junior went 2-for-2 at the dish with a double, a walk, three RBIs and two runs scored.
Elliana Hernandez and Raya Howard had two hits apiece. Hernandez also had a double while driving in two runs. Howard touched home plate twice.
That was more than enough run support for Mackenzie Brown. The junior allowed a hit and three walks while striking out 10 through five scoreless innings.
Barring a major shakeup, the Bulldogs (11-9), who began the week ranked fourth in Region 4-5A, will host a regional quarterfinal.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: District softball: Four Treasure Coast teams take home titles
Reporting by Patrick Bernadeau, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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