Class 4A State Track & Field: Riverview's Lowther takes gold medal in discus, shot put

SATURDAY

TRACK & FIELD STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Class 4A

AT: University of North Florida

BOYS HIGH JUMP - 2. Adryan Schuetz (Riverview) 6 feet, 5 1/2 inches

GIRLS DISCUS THROW - 1. Susan Lowther (Riverview) 149 feet, 1 inch

GIRLS SHOT PUT - 1. Susan Lowther (Riverview) 43 feet, 6 1/2 inches

GIRLS 800 RUN - 5. Atarah Robinson (Venice) 2:13.97

BOYS 400 DASH - 5. Matthew Groves (Venice) 47.85

BOYS 4 x 800 RELAY - 5. Elijah Palmer, Patrik McDonald, Andrew Cernansky, Spencer Palmer (Venice) 7:59.51

BOYS 400 HURDLES - 8. Christopher Priede (Venice) 55.14

FRIDAY

SOFTBALL

Class 5A-Region 3

Parrish Community 12, North Fort Myers 3

PARRISH – Steeled by a strong schedule that saw it drop seven of nine games midway through the season, the Parrish Community High softball team didn’t falter when adversity struck in the 5A-Region 3 championship against North Fort Myers on Friday night.

The Bulls pounced for an early five-run lead in the second inning and added crucial insurance runs in the fifth and sixth innings on the way to a 12-3 win against the Red Knights at Parrish Community High School.

Though Parrish lost seven seniors from last year’s state championship team, it never questioned that it would take a step back this season, even with four freshmen and a sophomore in the starting lineup.

“One thing we’ve been saying all year long is ‘We’re not rebuilding, we’re reloading,’” Parrish coach Erin Spivey said. “That’s something we’ve really dug into because it’s very hard to win a state championship, hands down. But the next hardest thing to do is go back-to-back.

“That’s extremely hard. The bullseye is on your back. Everybody wants you. Because we did graduate a lot last year, and this is a new team. To get those people to come together and work together, that’s a hard job. But they’ve done it.”

The Bulls were able to rely on several key returning players this season, but some newcomers like freshman second baseman Alysa Jones had to adjust to the pressure and expectations quickly.

“It was pressurized, but at the same time, I love rising to the challenge,” said the 5-foot-11 left-handed Jones. “I knew coming into this that I wasn’t going to get a whole lot of playing time, but I had to make whatever I could of it. I wasn’t anticipating to start because there’s so many great seniors and they’ve already went through this.

“I was very excited to be a part of it, but I was very nervous to be in their shoes.”

Jones (4-for-4 with two RBI and two runs) started alongside fellow freshmen Kyndal France, Mackenzie Pandelo and Lina Chapman against the Red Knights, and each contributed to the win in a big way.

But the new-look Bulls didn’t win without facing some fight from the Red Knights.

Despite allowing five runs to score in the second inning in large part due to two errors and two passed balls, North Fort Myers battled back in the middle innings.

Junior Abby Hynes scored in the third as a throwing error brought her home and the Red Knights made it a game in the top of the fourth as sophomore starting pitcher Kaliyah Williams crushed a two-run home run over the left field fence to cut the deficit to 5-3 – the first runs scored against Parrish in the playoffs.

Williams held Parrish scoreless in the home half of the inning to keep the game tight, but the Bulls added a pair of runs in the fifth on an RBI single by senior starting pitcher Rylee Little in which a second run scored on a throwing error to third base to extend its lead.

North Fort Myers again had a chance to battle back in the sixth.

The Red Knights loaded the bases on a single by junior Mia Pecore, a walk by freshman Alison Smith and a hit-by-pitch by Liliana Hertzog, but left them full as Little struck out pinch-hitter Izabella Spohn.

“The kids played well,” said North Fort Myers coach Jeff Miner, whose team lost in the regional final to Parrish for a second consecutive season. “They didn’t quit. But (Parrish) kept on tacking on runs, and it just takes the steam out of you. The kids could have quit at five-nothing and they didn’t, and that was the neat thing about it.

“It’s funny how momentum can swing in this game.”

Parrish wasted no time putting the game away with its next turn at the plate.

The Bulls scored five more runs – and nearly won via mercy rule on a foul ball down the left-field line – as a hit from Jones brought in a run, senior Alex Call forced home a run on a walk, Jones scored on a wild pitch and Little laced a two-run double.

In the circle, the left-handed Little kept the Red Knights at bay for most of the night with a 12-strikeout complete game.

Parrish (18-8) will now advance to play in the 5A state semifinals at Legends Way Ballfield in Clermont on May 23 against a team to be determined.

“I think that you’re very, very lucky to make it to the state tournament,” Spivey said. “I think any team can be beaten on any given day, and preparing your team to be ready to overcome that is all you can do. So, are they ready? Absolutely, they’re ready.”

― Vinnie Portell

TRACK & FIELD STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Class 3A

AT: University of North Florida

GIRLS TRIPLE JUMP: 5. Rylie Jackson (Parrish) 37 feet, 7 3/4 inches

BOYS 4 x 400 RELAY: T-7. Dylan Sabol, Javon Moss, Evan Joseph, Parker Vitoritt (Parrish) 3:21.74

THURSDAY

TRACK & FIELD STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Class 2A

AT: University of North Florida

BOYS SHOT PUT - 5. Owen Tannehill (Lemon Bay) 51 feet, 1/4 inch; 7. Kevontay Hugan (Booker) 50 feet, 6 inches

GIRLS 100 DASH - 5. Terrietta Smith (Booker) 12.22

BOYS 100 DASH - 6. Jayson Evans (Booker) 11.02

BOYS 200 DASH - 8. Jayson Evans (Booker) 22.01

GIRLS 1600 RUN - 7. Addison Dempsey (Cardinal Mooney) 5:07.43

GIRLS 3200 RUN - 1. Addison Dempsey (Cardinal Mooney) 10:35.87

WEDNESDAY

TRACK & FIELD STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

Class 1A

AT: University of North Florida

BOYS LONG JUMP - 5. Candler Johnson (Bradenton Christian) 22 feet, 7 inches

BOYS JAVELIN - 3. Evan Brown (Saint Stephen's) 166 feet, 9 inches

TUESDAY

SOFTBALL

Class 5A-Region 3 semifinals

Parrish 5, Northeast 0

PARRISH - Truth be told, Rylee Little’s teammates should have scored 15 runs for their ace pitcher.

Even if she only would have needed one.

The host Parrish High softball team followed a familiar script on Tuesday in a Class 5A-Region 3 semifinal against Northeast, and it had Little on center stage in a 5-0 victory which advanced the defending 5A champions into Friday’s regional championship against visiting North Fort Myers.

In a game which saw the top-seeded Bulls (17-8) collect 15 hits off Viking starter and loser Danielle Brunner, but score just the five runs while stranding 11 runners, Little glowed. The left-hander, who came into the game with a 12-5 record, 186 strikeouts in 113.1 innings, overpowered Northeast hitters, hurling a seven-inning no-hitter, walking two and fanning 14.

Besides the two walks, the only other Viking to get on base against Little was third baseman Brooke McCarthy, who reached first in the sixth on a Parrish error with two out. But Little got Lashell Roberts to line out to second, then struck out two of the three Viking hitters in the top of the seventh to send the Bulls into their second regional final in as many years.

“You always want to be climbing that mountain at the end of the year,” Parrish head coach Erin Spivey said, “and I think we’re doing that.” After losing three in a row and seven of nine from mid-March to mid-April, the Bulls are currently riding an eight-game winning streak. “We’re mixing things up, we’re putting the ball in play down the lineup,” Spivey said. “The defense is becoming solid, so, yeah, we’re climbing that mountain and we’re peaking when we need to peak.”

Parrish got production up and down its lineup against Northeast (14-6), just not in the form of runs. Ella Romano finished 4-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Hannan Lewis had three hits and an RBI; Jade Kruse had three hits and scored a run; Kyndal France had a hit and two RBI; and Mackenzie Pandelo went 2-for-3.

Parrish scored single runs in the first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings. An additional hit in any of the frames would have exploded the Bulls’ margin of victory. “We easily could have gone up a lot, but we didn’t,” Spivey said. “They were a decent ballclub and they did a good job.”

That meant Viking batters not looking completely overmatched at the plate against Little, who employs a rise ball with which she’s able to dot the corners of the plate, complemented by a change-up thrown about 15 miles-per-hour slower.

“I trust my team a lot,” she said. “I know that no matter what, they’re going to hit the ball, and we’re going to get that run. I’m going to go out there and do my job and they’ll have my back.”

Said Spivey, “She’s able to really work around the zones, and she’s a senior. She’s got a really good sense of calmness to her on the mound. She has just been putting it all together and we’ve been backing her up and I couldn’t ask for anything more right now.”

A similar performance by Little against North Fort Myers would be one.

- Doug Fernandes

Class 6A-Region 2 semifinals

Bloomingdale 3, Palmetto 2

AT: Bloomingdale

TOP PLAYERS: (P) Emily Borresen 1-4, HR, run, 2 RBI; (LP) Makenna Lee (6 inns., 4 hits, 3 runs-0 earned, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts). Bloomingdale scored two unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to take a 3-2 lead.

RECORDS: Bloomingdale 27-1, Palmetto 15-11

MONDAY

BASEBALL

Class 7A-Region 2 championship

Windermere 5, Venice 4

VENICE – The Venice High baseball team relied on several freshmen and sophomores to win games all season, and that formula nearly worked again on Monday night in the Class 7A-Region 2 championship against Windermere.

But those young Indians couldn’t have been fully prepared for the wild emotions – and mental miscues – that can come with playoff baseball.

Venice made some game-changing mistakes, including one that led to the game-deciding run in the top of the eighth inning in a 5-4 extra-innings loss at Venice High School.

The win gives Windermere (27-3) the regional championship and the loss ends Venice’s season at 26-4.

“We let our emotions get the best of us at times there, just wanting to do so good,” Venice coach Craig Faulkner said. “We teach to save your emotions for after a game and to stay in the game. We have some young guys, and emotions got the best of them a little bit.

“We knew that was a good team, and whoever made the least amount of mistakes was going to win that game, and we made more than they did.”

Venice’s final mistake came in the top of the eighth inning when sophomore pitcher Carter Cox dropped to a crouch as he looked to the first-base umpire in disbelief following a called check-swing on Windermere batter Juan Lopez with one out and the bases loaded.

With his hands at his head and his face directed at first base, Cox didn’t see the throw back from senior catcher Jon Embury until it was bouncing past him and Wolverines senior Osjun Rivas took full advantage – sprinting down the third-base line to score the game’s final run.

“He did a good job,” Faulkner said of Cox. “You just have to catch that baseball.”

Cox was brought in from center field to pitch two batters into the eighth after senior relief pitcher Simon Yochum had to be removed.

Yochum had been shutting down the Wolverines, allowing no base runners with five strikeouts through 2 ⅓ innings until he hit Rivas with a pitch to open the inning.

“He was getting some real tightness in his forearm, so we had to go get him,” Faulkner said of Yochum. “He was doing a great job for us.”

Venice was pushed to its limit all night, starting with a wild top of the first in which the Wolverines took a three-run lead on four hits.

Windermere’s first three batters – senior Ty Head (double), sophomore Randy Ruiz (RBI single) and senior Jack Waddingham (single) – reached against Venice junior starting pitcher Jackson Lucas, who nearly escaped the inning with just one run across before allowing a two-run double to senior Javier Calzadilla.

Venice didn’t need much time to rally against Windermere senior starting pitcher Cannon Feazell.

Lucas bounced back with a 1-2-3 top of the second before the Indians took the lead with a four-run home half of the inning.

Indians junior shortstop David Dubrule knocked home freshman designated hitter Jonathan Mauro and freshman outfielder August Backman on a single to right field to open the scoring. Embury and Lucas – the next two batters – followed with RBI singles to take the lead before Wolverines relief pitcher Joey Waddingham ended the inning with a groundout.

But Ruiz led off the top of the third inning with a solo home run deep over the left field wall to knot the game at 4-4, and that’s where it stayed until Venice’s fatal mistake.

Venice had a few chances to take the lead in the closing innings. Mauro led off the home half of the sixth with a single, but freshman second baseman Graham Houston turned a routine bunt into a double play when he left first base – not realizing the throw had gone to second for a force out.

Though Venice would put the next two batters on via walks, Windermere senior reliever Cruz Warp came in to get a full-count strikeout of Dubrule to end the threat when it could have been the second out of the inning with the bases full.

The Indians had a shot to walk the game off in the seventh off Warp when freshman outfielder Keagen O’Brien knocked a two-out double down the left-field line, but a groundout ended that opportunity.

Finally, there was one last chance to tie the game up in the bottom of the eighth.

Houston reached on a walk and Backman bunted him over to second, but Warp got the Indians’ final two batters – Schumaker and Dubrule – to go down in order on a strikeout and a pop out to end the game.

“I’m pretty proud of how they came back after three runs in the first inning,” Faulkner said. “It’s a disappointing loss, but I’m pretty proud of what the team did this year. Sixteen wins in a row. No. 1 seeds, and winning the district. We hadn’t done that in a while. There’s a lot of things to celebrate.

“When you don’t win it all, it’s always frustrating when you want to, but I’m pretty proud of these guys.”

- Vinnie Porcell

Class 5A-Region 3 championship

Jesuit 6, Parrish 3

AT: Jesuit

TOP PLAYERS: (P) Matthew Thompson 1-3, 2 RBI; Tyler Cripe 2-4, run; Alex Tallo 1-2, run; Jonathan Maassen 2-3; (LP) Troy Guthrie (5.2 inns., 6 hits, 6 runs-4 earned, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts). Jesuit scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota, Manatee high school sports roundup for the week of May 13-18.