Kissimmee Klassic

Rain Cancels Final Day of Kissimmee Klassic

Rain Cancels Final Day of Kissimmee Klassic

KISSIMMEE, FL — Although the committee tried as hard as it could, the rain was the only winner as the 21st Kissimmee Klassic Softball Tournament came to a c

Apr 3, 2016 by Chez Sievers
Rain Cancels Final Day of Kissimmee Klassic
KISSIMMEE, FL — Although the committee tried as hard as it could, the rain was the only winner as the 21st Kissimmee Klassic Softball Tournament came to a close on Saturday afternoon.  
 
The morning consolation round had started at 10 a.m. but heavy downpours halted action about one hour later.  At around 3 p.m. with rain still falling and the fields unplayable, Tournament Director Roger Jones reluctantly called off the event.
 
“It’s really a shame because we had perhaps our strongest field ever in the premiere Blue Division,” Jones said.  “A lot of great teams traveled long distances to get here and it’s a shame the tournaments could not be determined on the field.”
 
Per Klassic protocol, a coin flip was held to determine a tournament winner.  There were four undefeated teams in the two divisions and through a series of coin flips, St. Thomas Aquinas (14-3) was named the winner of the Blue Division and Lake Howell (12-8) won the flip against Baron Collier to claim the Gold Division.
 
Although the event was rain-shortened, the tournament had more than its share of memorable moments and performances.
 
Freshman Caroline Hedgcock from Downers Grove South (IL) hit .500 in two games, going three for six with three runs scored, three RBI and a home run.  She also was the winning pitcher in a 16-1 (4 innings) win over Gulliver Prep, allowing no earned runs, two hits and striking out six.
 
Senior Katie Chronister, a University of Florida signee, was the winning pitcher in both of Gainesville Hurricanes’ two wins.  Chronister had 17 strikeouts and only two walks in 14 innings of work, while allowing just a single unearned run.  She was also four for four at the plate with three runs scored and two RBI.
 
Centerfielder Jordie Miller went three for five with four runs scored and a pair of runs batted in as Hagerty won both of its games, including beating nationally ranked Newsome, 6-1, in the tournament opener.
 
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Perhaps the most impressive team performance came from St. Thomas Aquinas, which went 2-0 in the tournament and defeated former No.1 nationally ranked Oakleaf, 11-3, on Friday.  Brooke Stock threw two complete games in the tournament, allowing just one earned run, striking out 10 and allowing just eight hits in 14 innings.  Second baseman Thais Gonzalez, a University of Michigan signee, went five for seven (.714) in the tournament with five runs scored, a triple and an RBI.  Catcher Lindsey Gehring was four for seven and drove in five runs.
 
The Gold Division had its share of outstanding performances.
 
The middle infield combination of shortstop Meagan Stone and second baseman Kaitlyn Morgan combined .692 in the tournament (9 of 13) with five runs scored and seven RBI for Clay, which also made it to the semifinals with a 2-0 record.
 
Lake Howell’s freshman pitcher Raechel Cutcher had a win and a save in two appearances.  She did not allow a hit or a run in seven innings, striking seven and walking one.  She had four strikeouts in just two innings in her team’s upset of top-seeded Montverde in the quarterfinals.
 
Junior pitcher/first baseman Shelby Wilkison had a big tournament for Bradford.  On the mound, she was 1-0 in two appearances.  She allowed just two hits in seven innings, did not allow a run and struck out 17.  From the plate, she was three for seven with a double and three RBI.
 
Sophomore pitcher Tori Sutherland led Baron Collier to a 2-0 record in the Gold Division.  In 14 innings of work, she was 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA and seven strikeouts.  She also picked up a pair of hits from the leadoff spot.
 
Fifteen of the 16 teams in the Blue Division of the 2017 Kissimmee Klassic were ranked in their most recent state polls and 10 were ranked in the top 100 nationally.  The combined won-lost records of 16 teams heading into the tournament were an astronomical 191-27.
 
Five of the 16 Gold Division were ranked in the most recent Florida polls.

Written by J. Daniel Pearson


Related:
Day 1: Kissimmee Klassic
Day 2: Kissimmee Klassic No.1 Oakleaf Falls From the Top 
Week 3: FloSoftball FAB 50 High School Rankings
How No. 2 Oakleaf Made it to the Top