VERO BEACH – The goal for every high school softball team is to get to Vero Beach and compete for a state title.
For Trinity Christian the goal of getting back to Vero Beach started exactly a year ago.
364 days to be exact, not that anyone is counting.
Tied 1-1 in the top of the sixth, Trinity Christian saw its dream of hoisting its first ever state title trophy quickly evaporate.
Westminster scored five runs in the inning to stun Trinity 6-1 in the Class A state title game last season.
Fast forward a year later, the moment Trinity has been waiting for has finally arrived.
Both Trinity and Westminster were back in the Final Four and each one win away from a rematch in the title game.
First Trinity had to take care of business with Oxbridge Academy first, the Conquerors had little trouble in a 10-3 win.
Senior pitcher Bailey Cooley didn’t have her best stuff but was effective striking out four, walking two, while giving up three hits and three earned runs in the sixth inning.
Lucky for her the offense helped her out with 10 runs on 19 hits led by Mackenzie Marell (3-4, 3 RBI) and Breezy Burnett (3-4, 4 RBI).
They weren’t the only ones producing as were Alexis Ross (3-5), Cooley (2-4), Linzie Lafavor (2-4, 1 RBI) and Natalia Burnsed (3-4, 1 RBI).
Westminster filled in the second piece knocking out Tampa Catholic 7-2 in the late semifinal, setting up the highly anticipated rematch with Trinity at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday night in the Class 4A state final.
And now a year later, Trinity (19-6) will get their shot at redemption.
Admiral Farragut 7, University Christian 2
Their first Final Four trip in three years ended abruptly in the state semifinals to the defending 3A state champions.
One bad inning was the downfall.
Admiral Farragut (19-10) scores five runs in the second inning to take a commanding 5-0 lead.
Down 5-0 in the sixth inning, the Christians (18-5) rallied for two runs to cut the lead to 5-2.
However, the Blue Jackets answered with two of their own in the bottom of the inning to extend the lead to 7-2
Head coach Keith Stroud did an amazing job considering the Christians had only two seniors Nyah Morgan and Maggie Wendt to go along with four players in either seventh and eighth grade, including seventh grader Sophia Kardatzke ace pitcher.
Kardatzke pitched well despite the loss, striking out nine while walking five, giving up eight hits and seven earned runs.
U.C. had no answer for Blue Jackets pitcher Bre Benefield, who limited the Christians to just four hits, struck out ten, while walking only four.
Two of those four hits resulted in the Christians only runs as Morgan tripled and seventh grader Jaleigh Harris followed with a RBI double.
Academy of the Lakes 10, Palatka Peniel 0 (5 innings)
Its first trip to the Final Four was a brief one for Palatka Peniel Baptist.
The Warriors (21-5) not only had the daunting task of trying to knock off the defending 2A state champs Academy of the Lakes Wildcats but Alabama signee pitcher Lexi Kilfoyl as well.
Kilfoyl struck out nine, walked none and allowed just one hit in the 10-0 win over Peniel ending the Warriors 11 game winning streak.
Sophomore pitcher Paige Bryan had a rough outing giving up 10 hits, 10 runs (4 earned), while striking out four and walking three.
Kilfoyl batting in the lead off spot in the lineup, helped herself out going 2-4 with 4 RBI, including a 2 RBI triple in the fifth.
Freshman Rylee Romay broke up the perfect game with a single in the top of the fifth inning to break up the no hitter as well.
The loss ends the best season in the programs brief history. Peniel head coach Jeff Hutchins inherited a program coming off just eight wins in 2016 and had guided the Warriors to three straight playoff appearances.
If their is a silver lining to the season, if the Wildcats go on to win the Class 2A state title today, it would be the third straight year the Warriors would have lost to the eventual state champions having lost to Aucilla Christian in the first round the previous two years.
