Class 5A state semifinal softball: Parrish advances to second-straight championship game
Indeed, the Parrish Community High School softball team knew the way back to the Class 5A state title game.
With pitcher Rylee Little submitting another dominating performance, the Bulls subdued the Horizon Hawks 6-1 on Thursday morning in a 5A semifinal contest at Legends Way Ballfields in Clermont.
The victory puts defending champion Parrish (19-8) into Friday’s title game. The Bulls will play Gainesville, a 5-2 winner over Archbishop McCarthy in Thursday’s other semifinal, at 4:30 p.m.
State Preview: Building a dynasty: Parrish Community High softball team ready to defend Class 5A state title
Parrish will enter the title game riding a 10-game winning streak, with the Bulls’ championship hopes once again riding on the left arm of Little, who allowed just a home run to Horizon’s Avery Velazquez in hurling the complete-game six-hitter. In striking out just four, the senior didn’t have her usual double-digit total, but except for two errors which didn’t bite Parrish, the Bulls played good defense behind Little.
Meanwhile, Parrish hitters had to contend with the offerings of Mackenzie Duncan, the right-hander who came into the game with a 12-4 record, 50 hits given up in 88 innings, and only four home runs allowed.
But Parrish, which had hit just eight homers in 26 previous games, reached Duncan for two. In the bottom of the second, with two out and Alysa Jones aboard via a single, freshman Mackenzie Pandelo belted a 2-2 offering over the left-center field fence for her third round-tripper of the season and a 2-0 Parrish lead.
And in the bottom of the fourth, when Parrish broke open a 2-1 game with four runs, Alex Call started it off with a leadoff homer off Duncan. Two throwing errors by Velazquez at third aided the Bulls’ padding of its lead. Following a single by Hannah Lewis, Little’s bunt was fielded by Velazquez, who threw the ball past first baseman Lauren Rifenberg, putting runners on first and third.
A Pandelo squeeze bunt scored Jones from third, and when Velazquez threw away a ground ball hit by Jade Kruse, another Parrish run crossed the plate. An RBI single by catcher Carsyn Kull, one of Parrish’s eight hits, ended the scoring with Parrish up 6-1.
The only trouble Little really faced came in the top of the third with the Bulls up 2-0. Horizon loaded the bases with none out on a single and two Parrish errors. But Little escaped the jam when a line drive hit by Lila Hernandez struck the Hawk runner taking off from first. With the bases still loaded, Rifenberg hit a ground ball to first baseman Lewis, whose throw home to Kull forced out the Horizon runner. Little then got Velazquez to fly out to center to end the inning.
Kull had two of Parrish’s eight hits, as did Lewis. Pandelo knocked in three with her two-run homer and RBI squeeze bunt.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Class 5A state semifinal softball: Parrish returns to 5A title game by beating Horizon
