Which Manatee County high school sports teams are in the playoffs? Here’s a look
The 2023-2024 high school sports year is winding down.
Spring sports are in the playoffs at either the district tournament, regional or state championship level.
So who are the Manatee County teams and athletes still competing?
Here’s a look:
Baseball
On Tuesday, Lakewood Ranch’s baseball team advanced to the Class 7A-District 8 championship game after a 3-1 victory over Sarasota Riverview. Lochlan Radloff went the distance, striking out seven against two walks and allowing three hits with no earned runs over seven innings pitched.
Andrew Schroeder led the Mustangs (12-13-1) with two hits, including a double and RBI.
The Mustangs play top-seeded Venice for the district title Thursday.
Palmetto advanced to the 6A-District 11 title game against Valrico Bloomingdale. The Tigers (14-12) defeated Ruskin Lennard, 9-3, in Tuesday’s semifinal behind multi-hit games from Trey Lawrence (2-for-4, run, RBI), Aiden Collins (2-for-3, run, two RBIs) and Hunter Sisk (2-for-4, double, three RBIs).
The Tigers play for the district championship Thursday.
In 5A-9, Parrish Community rolled to an 11-0 mercy-rule shortened victory over Tampa Freedom to book a spot in Thursday’s district title game against Tampa Jesuit.
The Bulls (21-6) received multiple hit games from Will Rawls (2-for-3, two runs, RBI), Matthew Thompsen (2-for-2, home run, two runs, two RBIs), Tyler Cripe (2-for-3, two RBIs) and Alex Tallo (2-for-3, triple, two runs, two RBIs). Bulls pitchers Wesley Anderson and Johnny Wilson combined to allow only one hit over the five inning game.
Flag football
Braden River made program history Tuesday. The Pirates won their first regional championship. Braden River defeated St. Petersburg High, 13-7, to win a Class 1A region title.
Braden River advanced to Friday’s 1A-Section 3 championship at Boyton Beach Somerset Academy.
The Pirates (17-1) also got revenge with the win over St. Pete as the Green Devils handed Braden River its only regular-season loss.
Lacrosse
Manatee’s girls team kept their unbeaten season alive on Tuesday. The Hurricanes defeated Lithia Newsome, 8-6, in a Class 2A-Region 3 semifinal. The Canes (18-0) play for a state semifinal berth on Friday at Tampa Plant, the region’s top seed.
Meanwhile, Saint Stephen’s girls team gets to host a region championship game Friday. The Falcons, whose only loss this season was a double overtime thriller to Manatee, beat Naples Gulf Coast, 16-4, in Tuesday’s 1A-3 semifinal.
On the boys side, Lakewood Ranch plays Wednesday at 7 p.m. against Lithia Newsome at the Premier Sports Campus in a 2A-3 semifinal.
Softball
Lakewood Ranch’s softball team upset top-seeded Sarasota Riverview in Tuesday’s Class 7A-District 8 semifinals.. The Mustangs beat the Rams, 7-3, by drawing eight walks and cashing in through timely hits from Grace Shaw-Rockey (1-for-3, home run, two RBIs, three runs), Olivia Shephard (2-for-3, double, two runs) and Jenna May (1-for-4, two RBIs).
Lakewood Ranch (5-20) plays at Venice for the district title Thursday.
Palmetto defeated Manatee, 12-2, in a 6A-7 semifinal. Tigers senior Desiree Aitken went 3-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and four RBIs, while Keleah Peters (2-for-3, double, two runs, RBI) also had a multi-hit game in the victory.
Aitken combined with Makenna Lee to stymie Manatee’s bats to just three hits and two runs. Palmetto (13-10) plays Valrico Bloomingdale for the district title Thursday.
In 5A-10, Parrish Community (14-8) only needed three innings to advance to the district championship. The Bulls blasted Tampa Freedom, 20-0, in the mercy-rule shortened semifinal. Mackenzie Pandelo had one of Parrish’s five doubles and drove in five of the team’s runs. Kyndal France (2-for-3, double, run, three RBIs), Ella Romano (2-for-2, two runs, two RBIs), Alysa Jones (2-for-2, double, two runs, two RBIs) and Alex Call (2-for-2, double, two runs, RBI) also contributed offensively.
Parrish plays Gibsonton East Bay for Thursday’s championship.
Bradenton Christian (9-8) advanced in the Class 2A-District 11 tournament after eliminating Saint Stephen’s, 8-1, on Tuesday.
Panthers eighth-grader Addison Johnston paced the hitting with two doubles and four RBIs in a 3-for-3 day at the dish. She also struck out nine batters in a complete-game win. BCS plays St. Petersburg Admiral Farragut in Thursday’s title game.
