Baker County’s last high school softball home game of the spring was one to remember.
Mallory Jackson delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning for the Wildcats, escaping a serious scare from Fort Walton Beach to survive 6-5 in their Florida High School Athletic Association Region 1-4A softball semifinal on May 13.
Jackson, 3 for 4 on the day, lofted a fly to left to score ghost runner Sadye Harvey and keep Baker County (24-2) alive.
The Wildcats had recovered from an early deficit with a five-run fourth, keyed by a two-run double from Baleigh Shields. But Fort Walton Beach (15-13) struck back in the sixth, tying the game 5-5 on Anna Beyhl’s home run.
Also advancing was top seed Columbia, which scored six runs in the first and went on to down Panama City Beach Arnold 11-1 in five innings. Josie Raulerson led the Tigers (26-3) at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a home run, a double and three RBI.
Caydence Corbitt’s RBI double in the first had given Arnold (17-11) a short-lived 1-0 lead. Columbia’s Ryleigh Stone and Kinley King combined to limit the Marlins to five hits.
REGION 1-6A
In a game that lasted two days, on two different playing surfaces, in two counties, Navarre ended Tocoi Creek’s playoff run.
The Raiders completed a two-day upset of second-seeded Tocoi Creek, 9-4, in the second part of a suspended game that began on the artificial turf of Fort Family Regional Park in Jacksonville and ended one day later at the Toros’ home in St. Johns County.
Navarre (15-10) had raced to a 9-1 lead under steady rain on May 12 before umpires halted play in the fourth inning. Naomi Valcin blasted a three-run homer for the Toros (24-3) immediately after the suspended game resumed, but Raiders pitcher Kaleigh Atchley stifled any further Tocoi Creek comeback bids.
REGION 1-5A
Lily Trumbower hit the walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning and Tallahassee Chiles handed Middleburg a heartbreaking second-round loss, 3-2 in the state capital.
Middleburg (13-16), scoreless through six innings, tied the score in the seventh with Emma Ward’s RBI single and Izzy Pifer’s RBI double. But the Timberwolves (20-3) struck back when Josie Jordan singled, took second on a sacrifice bunt and then third on an error. After a groundout, Trumbower came through with the two-out game-winner.
Ward went 3 for 3 for the Broncos and Kendal Way also had a pair of hits.
REGION 1-3A
Sophomore Maleah Rouse drove in all four runs, three on a fifth-inning home run, and Kassidy Edwards pitched a four-hit shutout as Paxon won 4-0 against visiting West Florida (10-16).
Edwards and Amaya Hyslop also had two hits each for Paxon (17-7), which led from the start after Rouse’s sacrifice fly in the first.
Yulee’s playoff run ended against top-seeded Wakulla, 4-1 in the Big Bend. Jayci Mapes doubled, knocked in four runs and pitched a two-hitter for the War Eagles (24-4).
The Hornets (12-12) struck first when Brooklyn Sawyer’s RBI single brought home Kierstin Northern in the first inning.
REGION 1-2A
St. Johns University commit Jazmine Ramos-Merced blasted the 42nd home run of her high school career and Baldwin continued its run of postseason success against Episcopal, winning 5-0 over the Eagles (19-6).
Lilly Hubbard pitched a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts for Baldwin (21-6), which scored all of its runs in the first three innings. Tiana Gissentanner tripled and Madison Crews doubled as well.
The run ended in the Panhandle for Bolles, going down 4-2 against North Bay Haven (20-5). Addison Mallon struck out 10 batters for the host Buccaneers, who grabbed a 3-0 lead after Shasta Butler’s double in the third.
Teryn Freeman went 2 for 3 with a double and Molly Eyrick added another RBI for Bolles (17-9).
REGION 1-1A
Piper Tessier’s one-hit shutout advanced top-seeded University Christian to within a game of the final four, winning 6-0 over Christ’s Church (15-8) at Drew Park on Jacksonville’s Southside.
Sinai Tunsill went 3 for 3 with three RBI for UC (18-4), while Lydia Smith and Cassidy Morgan had two hits each.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: See Jacksonville FHSAA second-round softball scores. Who’s moving on?
Reporting by Clayton Freeman, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union / Florida Times-Union
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
