- November 28, 2024
Loading
BRADEN RIVER — Two months ago, Huntyre Elling watched from the visiting dugout as her East County rivals erupted in celebration.
The Lakewood Ranch High junior had pitched a solid game for the Lady Mustangs, allowing only one run. Little did she know at the time that that one run in the fifth inning would also be the lone run on the scoreboard.
Elling spent the better part of the past two months looking to avenge her team’s 1-0 regular season loss to Braden River.
So when Elling got the call on the mound for the Lady Mustangs in Class 4A-District 10 championship game against the top-seeded Lady Pirates April 22, it was game on.
In front of several hundred fans, the largest attendance ever for a high school softball game at Braden River, Elling did exactly what she set out to do: keep Braden River’s batters from getting on base.
And this time, Elling’s teammates gave her the runs she needed to close out the game and secure a 2-1 victory. With the win, Lakewood captured its second-consecutive district title.
“I’m speechless,” Elling said. “We all did really well. The hitting — they came around, and it’s so much easier going out there knowing you have runs on the board behind you.”
Elling struck out eight and allowed four hits and a walk. She also out-pitched Braden River ace Courtney Mirabella, who has drawn national attention this season, in the process.
“The last two weeks, we just focused on what we needed to do to win districts, and now we’re going to go on,” Lakewood coach Joe Doling said. “I had Huntyre and Brittany Kilduff both warming up and it was literally like the flip of a coin. Huntyre wanted an opportunity to avenge that loss, and we wanted to give her that chance.”
After striking out 17 her first time out against Lakewood, Mirabella only recorded six strikeouts in the district championship and allowed four hits and a walk.
“Courtney definitely had an off night,” Braden River coach Doug Powell said. “She didn’t have the control and the command that she normally has. This is the second time Lakewood’s seen her, so they’re adjusting. But even though she was off, she still pitched well enough to win most games. We just didn’t hit the ball.”
Lakewood got on the scoreboard first, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. Jennifer Trotter reached on a single, moved to second on a wild pitch and was sacrificed to third. Taylor Newton’s single drove in Trotter for the game’s first run. Newton then stole second and came around to score on a single by Sarah Burnett.
“The dugout was absolutely insane,” Burnett said. “We were screaming and jumping up and down and hugging each other. It was amazing. It was the best feeling ever.
“We beat them four times last season, and I did not want that to happen the opposite way around this year,” Burnett said. “So once it was even close, the adrenaline just pumped in immediately. All of us were digging in. All of us were trying our best. It was really a team effort.”
Braden River responded in the bottom of the sixth inning when Mirabella hit a double to left center field, driving in Kenya Yancy who reached base on a walk and was sacrificed to second. But that would be as close as the Lady Pirates would come to capturing their third district title, as Elling retired the final five batters.
“We had no discipline at the plate,” Powell said. “We were chasing high pitches all day long, and that’s not what we normally do. The girls were so pumped up. This was a big game.
“We tried to keep them calm and tried to get them to relax, but they wanted it really badly,” Powell said. “They didn’t have the disciple that we normally have, and that’s a big part of our game.”
Lakewood and Braden River both advanced to the regional tournament. The Lady Mustangs hosted District 9 runner-up Tampa Jefferson in a regional quarterfinal April 27, while Braden River traveled to District 9 champion Dover Strawberry Crest. The winners of the two regional quarterfinals will play again tomorrow night in the regional semifinals. Be sure to check www.YourObserver.com for scores and highlights from the opening round of the regional tournament.
Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].