In its fourth straight title appearance, Parrish Community will look for its third legacy-sealing title.
No. 4 Parrish Community softball will face No. 1 Pace in the FHSAA Class 6A state semifinal on Friday, May 22, at 1 p.m. Led by head coach Erin Spivey, the Bulls have gone 18-5-1 this season and are ranked No. 4 in the state, according to MaxPreps. The Bulls won back-to-back titles in 2023 and 2024.
Ahead of the season, Spivey intentionally played fewer games, focusing on more competitive matchups around the panhandle and in Alabama after losing in last year’s Final Four. Parrish fell 2-0 to Pace in the semifinal, only recording one hit against then-sophomore Hannah DeMarcus. The Florida-commit struck out 13 batters, inspiring Spivey to find more ways for her players to face better pitching ahead of the season.
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In March, Parrish Community defeated Pace 12-1, but DeMarcus wasn’t in the circle. She’ll likely be on Friday. DeMarcus has a .94 ERA and is 19-2 this year. In 141.2 innings, DeMarcus has struck out 300, giving up only 63 hits.
But the Bulls have their own pitching talent in Emmaline Van Beck, who has a 1.32 ERA in 132.1 innings, striking out 187. Van Beck will have to contend with Pace junior Gracie Ueberroth, who has hit .516 with 48 hits, 36 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases. Senior Kamryn Pierce has a .511 batting average with a team-high .598 on-base percentage, 1.045 slugging percentage, 13 home runs, and 45 hits.
Parrish will look to key pieces in its own roster against DeMarcus.
Junior second baseman Alysa Jones has a team-best .481 batting average and .540 on-base percentage, recording 37 hits and 24 RBIs. Junior catcher Cassidy Ott is just behind Jones with a .394 batting average, .529 on-base percentage, and a team-best .652 slugging percentage. The pair, along with utility player Kyndal France, will be pivotal during the semifinal rematch from last season.
If Parrish advances, the Bulls will play the winner of No. 2 Doral Academy and No. 3 Bartow. Doral Academy is 26-2 and is ranked No. 2 in Florida, according to MaxPreps, while Bartow is 27-3 and is right behind its opponent at No. 3.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Parrish Community softball seeking third state title in four years
Reporting by Emma Moon, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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