West Orange Cruises Into 9A Title Game
West Orange Cruises Into 9A Title Game
VERO BEACH, Fla.— All season long, the West Orange Warriors used aggressive base running, a solid defense and dominating pitching from junior Lauren Mathis
VERO BEACH, Fla.— All season long, the West Orange Warriors used aggressive base running, a solid defense and dominating pitching from junior Lauren Mathis to put together it’s season in school history.
West Orange followed that same script to the tee on Friday night, as Mathis scattered two hits in West Orange’s 11-1 win over Western (Davie) in an FHSAA Class 9A State semifinal game. West Orange, now 29-1 on the season and winners of 21 straight games, will face Tampa’s Alonso High School in championship game. Alonso (15-11) rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to upset Miami Palmetto, 8-6, in the other semifinal.
“It’s a crazy game to figure out,” West Orange Head Coach Todd LaNeave said following the win. “When you get to the state semifinals you know you are going to be facing a really good team and a really good pitcher. To put 11 runs on a team like Western is crazy. But I have to give our kids a lot of the credit, they were relaxed and played exactly the same way they did all season. We were aggressive on the base paths and used our speed to put a lot of pressure on their defense. When you give Lauren Mathis a couple of runs, it’s usually enough for win.”
Mathis was dominating in pushing her record to 24-1 on the season. She threw a complete game, striking out 11 batters – including the first seven outs she recorded. She allowed three hits and did not walk a batter.
“It’s funny how it works out sometimes, I wasn’t really trying to overpower the hitters or trying to strike a lot of them out,” Mathis said. “I was really just trying to work on my spin and pitch placement, fortunately they were chasing a lot of balls out of the zone.”
Offensively, West Orange jumped out early as Lexi Blair laced a one-out triple and would score on Samantha Golden’s squeeze bunt down the third base line. West Orange added an unearned run in the second, as Moore opened the rally with a one-out triple. Amanda Fleming reached on an infield single, but Moore got hung between third and home on the play but was able to score on catcher Katelyn Fletcher’s throwing error. It was one of five unearned runs the Warriors would score on the night. Western would cut the gap to 2-1 in the top of the third. Kayla Liebman reached on a one out single and took second on Kim George’s sacrifice bunt. Sydney Bates than ripped a sharp single to left to score Liebman, but Mathis struck out Fletcher to end the inning.
After picking up a single run in the third, the Warriors broke the game wide open in the fourth, sending seven batters to plate and scoring three times to take a 6-1 lead. West Orange only managed two singles in the inning but scored two runs on wild pitches and added a third on a throwing error.
“You never think it’s in the bag,” Mathis said. “But after those three runs came in, I started feeling pretty comfortable and just concentrated on making my pitches and letting my defense do the work.” Although she struck out just three batters after the third inning, Mathis retired the final nine 10 hitters she faced and did not allow a ball to leave the infield.
West Orange added four runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game on the 10-run rule. With two runs already in and the bases loaded, Amanda Fleming doubled off the left field wall to score two more runs and finish the game via the 10-run rule.
For the game, West Orange scored at least one run in every inning. They outhit Western 10-2, stole three bases, had five extra base hits and took advantage of six Western errors. Every Warriors player reached base at least once, including Jade Carraway who had a double and single and Lexi Blair, who had a triple and double.
Mathis, who allowed just one earned run in the game, still saw her ERA rise to 0.21 on the season. Bates, who came into the game with a 20-4 record and a 0.25 ERA, was tagged for six earned runs in five and a third innings in taking the loss.
In other classifications on Friday:
CLASS 5A
Bradenton Bayshore (18-3) rolled into Saturday’s Class 5A Championship game with a 5-1 win over Baker High School. Bayshore’s junior Miriam Schmoll starred both at the plate and on the mound. She struck out 10 and allowed just one earned run in picking up the pitching win. Schmoll was three for three at the plate with two doubles, a home run and three RBI. Senior Lashara James also backed Schmoll’s efforts, going two for three at the plate with a home run and three runs scored.
Bayshore will meet Coral Springs Charter in Saturday 10:35 a.m. state championship game. Charter used a no-hitter junior Allison Muraskin to advance to the title game. Muraskin faced just four batters over the minimum, allowing four walks and striking out 13. Of her 123 pitches, 73 went for strikes. Amanda Flynn provided all the offense Coral Springs (25-3) would need, knocking in a pair of runs with her two for four performance at the plate.
CLASS 6A
Madison Canby pushed her pitching record to 18-1 on the season with a three-hit shutout as American Heritage (25-2) advanced to the Class 6A State Championship game with a 5-0 win over Land O’Lakes High School. Canby struck out 11 and walked just one in the complete game. Maya Rodriguez provided the big blow for the Patriots with a two-run double. Ashley Smith had two of Land O’Lakes three hits, including a double.
American Heritage will be going for its seventh state title under Head Coach Marty Cooper. To get it, they will have to defeat Arnold High School (Panama City Beach), 8-7 winners over Auburndale in the other semifinal game. Arnold (26-5) trailed 7-5 late in the game but came up with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Danielle Lee led the charge with a two-run homer.
Class 7A
Gainesville High School will go for its first state championship under head coach Pete Mariano after the Hurricanes defeated Braden River, 4-0, in a Class 7A semifinal. University of Florida signee Katie Chronister was dominant once again, scattering three hits and striking out nine as Gainesville went to 25-2 on the season. Chronister also had an RBI double in the first inning for the Hurricanes, who would take advantage of four errors to tack on three more unearned runs in the second and cruise to the victory.
Gainesville will meet Lake Region (26-2) in Saturday’s 3:05 p.m. Class 7A Final. Lake Region dumped Stuart’s South Fork High, 3-0, in the other semifinal. Mary Haff and Jordan Barnes combined on a one hitter. Haff took the win, working 5 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out six while not allowing a hit. Barnes allowed one hit in 1 and 1/3 innings to pick up the save.
CLASS 8A
Clearwater Countryside (24-4) will play for the Class 8A championship after winning a hard-fought 2-0 game against St. Thomas Aquinas (22-5) in the first semifinal game. The contest was tied 0-0 through five and a half innings before Countryside scored twice on an RBI double from Christa Ward and an RBI single from pitcher Stella Preston. Preston pitched a complete game, striking out three and walking just one. She scattered four singles.
Countryside will face Bartow in the title game, after the Yellow Jackets routed Strawberry Crest, 12-2, in the other semifinal. Bartow’s hitting star was Lexy Sims, who went four for five and scored three runs.
The Yellow Jackets (24-6) also got two hits each from Alex Mace, Kenise Green, Bayli Robinson, and Ashton Owen.
West Orange followed that same script to the tee on Friday night, as Mathis scattered two hits in West Orange’s 11-1 win over Western (Davie) in an FHSAA Class 9A State semifinal game. West Orange, now 29-1 on the season and winners of 21 straight games, will face Tampa’s Alonso High School in championship game. Alonso (15-11) rallied for four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to upset Miami Palmetto, 8-6, in the other semifinal.
“It’s a crazy game to figure out,” West Orange Head Coach Todd LaNeave said following the win. “When you get to the state semifinals you know you are going to be facing a really good team and a really good pitcher. To put 11 runs on a team like Western is crazy. But I have to give our kids a lot of the credit, they were relaxed and played exactly the same way they did all season. We were aggressive on the base paths and used our speed to put a lot of pressure on their defense. When you give Lauren Mathis a couple of runs, it’s usually enough for win.”
Mathis was dominating in pushing her record to 24-1 on the season. She threw a complete game, striking out 11 batters – including the first seven outs she recorded. She allowed three hits and did not walk a batter.
“It’s funny how it works out sometimes, I wasn’t really trying to overpower the hitters or trying to strike a lot of them out,” Mathis said. “I was really just trying to work on my spin and pitch placement, fortunately they were chasing a lot of balls out of the zone.”
Offensively, West Orange jumped out early as Lexi Blair laced a one-out triple and would score on Samantha Golden’s squeeze bunt down the third base line. West Orange added an unearned run in the second, as Moore opened the rally with a one-out triple. Amanda Fleming reached on an infield single, but Moore got hung between third and home on the play but was able to score on catcher Katelyn Fletcher’s throwing error. It was one of five unearned runs the Warriors would score on the night. Western would cut the gap to 2-1 in the top of the third. Kayla Liebman reached on a one out single and took second on Kim George’s sacrifice bunt. Sydney Bates than ripped a sharp single to left to score Liebman, but Mathis struck out Fletcher to end the inning.
After picking up a single run in the third, the Warriors broke the game wide open in the fourth, sending seven batters to plate and scoring three times to take a 6-1 lead. West Orange only managed two singles in the inning but scored two runs on wild pitches and added a third on a throwing error.
“You never think it’s in the bag,” Mathis said. “But after those three runs came in, I started feeling pretty comfortable and just concentrated on making my pitches and letting my defense do the work.” Although she struck out just three batters after the third inning, Mathis retired the final nine 10 hitters she faced and did not allow a ball to leave the infield.
West Orange added four runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game on the 10-run rule. With two runs already in and the bases loaded, Amanda Fleming doubled off the left field wall to score two more runs and finish the game via the 10-run rule.
For the game, West Orange scored at least one run in every inning. They outhit Western 10-2, stole three bases, had five extra base hits and took advantage of six Western errors. Every Warriors player reached base at least once, including Jade Carraway who had a double and single and Lexi Blair, who had a triple and double.
Mathis, who allowed just one earned run in the game, still saw her ERA rise to 0.21 on the season. Bates, who came into the game with a 20-4 record and a 0.25 ERA, was tagged for six earned runs in five and a third innings in taking the loss.
In other classifications on Friday:
CLASS 5A
Bradenton Bayshore (18-3) rolled into Saturday’s Class 5A Championship game with a 5-1 win over Baker High School. Bayshore’s junior Miriam Schmoll starred both at the plate and on the mound. She struck out 10 and allowed just one earned run in picking up the pitching win. Schmoll was three for three at the plate with two doubles, a home run and three RBI. Senior Lashara James also backed Schmoll’s efforts, going two for three at the plate with a home run and three runs scored.
Bayshore will meet Coral Springs Charter in Saturday 10:35 a.m. state championship game. Charter used a no-hitter junior Allison Muraskin to advance to the title game. Muraskin faced just four batters over the minimum, allowing four walks and striking out 13. Of her 123 pitches, 73 went for strikes. Amanda Flynn provided all the offense Coral Springs (25-3) would need, knocking in a pair of runs with her two for four performance at the plate.
CLASS 6A
Madison Canby pushed her pitching record to 18-1 on the season with a three-hit shutout as American Heritage (25-2) advanced to the Class 6A State Championship game with a 5-0 win over Land O’Lakes High School. Canby struck out 11 and walked just one in the complete game. Maya Rodriguez provided the big blow for the Patriots with a two-run double. Ashley Smith had two of Land O’Lakes three hits, including a double.
American Heritage will be going for its seventh state title under Head Coach Marty Cooper. To get it, they will have to defeat Arnold High School (Panama City Beach), 8-7 winners over Auburndale in the other semifinal game. Arnold (26-5) trailed 7-5 late in the game but came up with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Danielle Lee led the charge with a two-run homer.
Class 7A
Gainesville High School will go for its first state championship under head coach Pete Mariano after the Hurricanes defeated Braden River, 4-0, in a Class 7A semifinal. University of Florida signee Katie Chronister was dominant once again, scattering three hits and striking out nine as Gainesville went to 25-2 on the season. Chronister also had an RBI double in the first inning for the Hurricanes, who would take advantage of four errors to tack on three more unearned runs in the second and cruise to the victory.
Gainesville will meet Lake Region (26-2) in Saturday’s 3:05 p.m. Class 7A Final. Lake Region dumped Stuart’s South Fork High, 3-0, in the other semifinal. Mary Haff and Jordan Barnes combined on a one hitter. Haff took the win, working 5 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out six while not allowing a hit. Barnes allowed one hit in 1 and 1/3 innings to pick up the save.
CLASS 8A
Clearwater Countryside (24-4) will play for the Class 8A championship after winning a hard-fought 2-0 game against St. Thomas Aquinas (22-5) in the first semifinal game. The contest was tied 0-0 through five and a half innings before Countryside scored twice on an RBI double from Christa Ward and an RBI single from pitcher Stella Preston. Preston pitched a complete game, striking out three and walking just one. She scattered four singles.
Countryside will face Bartow in the title game, after the Yellow Jackets routed Strawberry Crest, 12-2, in the other semifinal. Bartow’s hitting star was Lexy Sims, who went four for five and scored three runs.
The Yellow Jackets (24-6) also got two hits each from Alex Mace, Kenise Green, Bayli Robinson, and Ashton Owen.