PORT ORANGE — As soon as Meagan Cowoski caught the ball at first base for the final out, Reese Cianciarulo threw her hands into the air.
Cianciarulo and sixth-seeded Spruce Creek had just polished off a 2-0 shutout of No. 3 Apopka in the Region 1-7A quarterfinals on May 7. The Hawks (19-7) converged on their junior pitcher in the circle and bounced in celebration toward the third-base line.
“That was playoff ball,” coach Cameron McClelland said.
The contest took only an hour and 20 minutes, as Cianciarulo allowed just two baserunners. She gave up two hits and did not walk a batter, finishing with two strikeouts.
“I just go hard in on them,” Cianciarulo said. “Sometimes, (I) look out, look for a chase. But I know my defense behind me is going to eat it up. I just trust them.”
Blue Darters pitchers Mia Aeschilman and Ava Millspaugh limited Spruce Creek to four hits.
The Hawks produced their first run in the bottom of the first inning. Senior Taylor Ferrandino launched a sacrifice fly to deep left field to plate sophomore Katelyn Schoeps. Schoeps had a game-best two hits.
“First inning sets the tone for the game,” Cianciarulo said. “I’m glad my girls came out here and got on the board in the first inning. It’s great to see.”
Junior Aiyana Gerhardt brought home the second run in the bottom of the fourth. She grounded into a fielder’s choice, and freshman Caelyn Schwedes sprinted in.
From there, Cianciarulo and the Hawks’ defense kept working. They posted 1-2-3 innings in the fifth, sixth and seventh. The final out occurred when Apopka’s Sydney Bartkin grounded out to Spruce Creek’s junior shortstop, Keylee Gerhardt.
The victory looked a lot different than the regular-season meeting between the two programs. That one featured 26 runs and 32 hits, as the Blue Darters prevailed 16-10 on April 22.
McClelland made sure his team took advantage of the time between its district championship game on April 29 and its rematch with Apopka, evening calling in an umpire for an intrasquad scrimmage. He stressed the importance of pitchers hitting their spots and the fielders playing clean defense behind them.
“They handled that time off exactly how they were supposed to,” McClelland said.
Now, the Hawks are bound for the region semifinals. They’ll face Hagerty on May 12.
Hagerty 1, University 0
No. 2 Hagerty emerged from a 1-0 pitchers’ duel vs. University.
Two freshmen — Bella Ortiz for the Huskies and Madi McCormick for the Titans — battled in the circle. Ortiz blanked seventh-seeded University while surrendering just four hits and striking out 12 batters. McCormick fanned seven Hagerty batters and allowed seven hits.
The Huskies’ only run was the product of an RBI infield single by Mattingly Klein in the bottom of the fifth inning.
University closed its season with a 12-9 record.
Gainesville 6, Deltona 0
Gainesville kicked off its Region 2-5A quarterfinals against Deltona with a bang.
In the bottom of the first inning, Leanna Bourdage blasted a two-run homer to left field, gifting the Purple Hurricanes a lead they’d never lose.
Second-seeded Gainesville tacked on two runs in the third, one in the fourth and one in the sixth while holding No. 7 Deltona off the scoreboard. The Wolves mustered three hits off Bourdage.
They finished the year at 13-6.
Eau Gallie 10, Seabreeze 0
Seabreeze was the first of the four Volusia-Flagler qualifiers to take the field for its playoff opener. As the eighth seed, it fell to No. 1 Eau Gallie in the Region 2-4A quarterfinals on May 6.
The Commodores wrapped up their victory in five innings.
They jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in the first inning and picked up two more runs in the third before exploding for six in the fourth.
The Sandcrabs tallied two hits. Their final record was 11-13.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Regional softball roundup: Spruce Creek shuts out Apopka in quarterfinals
Reporting by Chris Vinel, Daytona Beach News-Journal / The Daytona Beach News-Journal
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
