OAKLEAF – Madisyn Davis and Cambria Arturo combined on a three hitter and 13 strikeouts to lead host Oakleaf to a 6-1 first round win over visiting Tallahassee Lincoln.
The dynamic duo handcuffed the Trojans offense keeping them off the bases for most of the game.
Davis, who started the game, allowed a one out walk in the first but got back-to-back pop up outs to catcher Jadrianna Serrano to end the inning.
In the second, Davis picked up her first and second strikeouts to start the inning, along with a putout from third baseman Baylee Goddard to Jaycie Brookshire to end the inning.
Two more strikeouts and another put out from Goddard to Brookshire ended the third inning.
It took a while for the potent Oakleaf offense to start clicking as freshman pitcher Gwen McGinnis handcuffed them for two innings with four strikeouts and just one hit.
Yet that changed in the third inning, as Serrano reached on an error by the right fielder. Pinch runner Madi McDaniel scored from third on a squeeze play from leadoff hitter Katie Kistler to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
Jaeda McFarland followed with a RBI double to left center scoring Kistler and McFarland scored on Goddard shot off the second baseman for a 3-0 lead.
That was all the run support Davis would need as despite the Trojans best effort Davis kept them off the scoreboard.
It wasn’t because they didn’t have their chances, they just couldn’t take advantages of their limited opportunities.
In the fourth, the Trojans loaded the bases with one out, after a single from Ayden Milgrom and walks from Emily Zettle and Shelby Sloan. Yet, Davis got out of the jam with her seventh strikeout.
The Knights tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the fifth as Aspen Windesheim singled to left, Davis laid down a perfect bunt for a single and Caitlynne Lamug walked to load the bases with one out. Windesheim scored on a pass ball to increase the lead to 4-0 for the Knights
With two outs, McFarland delivered the big blow with a 2 RBI double past short to score both pinch runner Madi McDaniel and Lamug to put Oakleaf up 6-0 in the fourth.
In the fifth, against Arturo, a leadoff single by Alexis Brown and an error on right fielder Windesheim put Trojans on first and third.
Emma Alley’s sac fly to right was caught by Windesheim and the throw home was dead on the money but Serrano played the runner instead of the throw allowing the ball to drop in front of the plate allowing Brown to score easily cutting the lead to 6-1 in the fourth.
Arturo struck out the side in the sixth and the first batter in the seventh before running into a bit of trouble giving up a single to Brown and a walk by Cassidy Boltz.
With runners on second and third and one out, the Trojans had a chance to get back into the game; however Arturo induced a grounder to shortstop Kaylee Lambrecht who fired to Brookshire for the second out and a pop up to Brookshire to end the game.
The Knights were led by Kistler (2-4, RBI), McFarland (2-4, 3 RBI), Windesheim (2-3) and Davis (1-3).
Oakleaf (23-4) will host Tallahassee Chiles (21-7), a 6-4 winner over Atlantic Coast, Tuesday at 7 p.m. in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs.
