Softball: Wellington ace Tori Payne shuts out Palm Beach Gardens in undefeated matchup
PALM BEACH GARDENS — A highly anticipated early season matchup of unbeaten foes went Wellington's way Friday as the Wolverines shut out Palm Beach Gardens 2-0.
Wellington starter Tori Payne and Gardens starter Sydney Shaffer dueled head-to-head as both offenses managed to sprinkle only a few hits across the first five innings.
The Wolverines (5-0) struck with two outs in the sixth as Kaylee Riles laced a triple into right-center and later scored on an RBI single to left-center by junior Erynn Lowe.
It was all the help Payne needed on a night when she displayed her talent as one of the top staff aces in Palm Beach County.
Powerhouse programs: Palm Beach County softball teams rise to the top
Here are three key takeaways:
Payne solidifies herself as Wellington's everyday ace
Coming off a season where she shared mound time with senior Jordan White, Payne has stepped into her new role as solo ace with aplomb.
Payne, a UCF commit, surrendered just three hits and struck out five in Friday night's shutout.
“Tori threw great,” Wellington head coach Mark Boretti said. “I call her our bulldog because she leads with so much emotion. What’s funny is off the field she’s actually a pretty quiet kid.”
Gardens battles close with elite foe
Even though the Gators took their first loss of the season, they hung in in the tough pitching battle until the last out.
Shaffer got herself out of jams when she needed to and the defense stepped up to make some big plays behind her. They were able to get a runner into scoring position a couple of times but just couldn’t come up with the timely hit.
Wellington primes itself with tough schedule
With the end goal set to end up back in Clermont, the Wolverines are preparing themselves early on with a tough schedule.
“We have to challenge ourselves to know what we're capable of,” Boretti said. “Tonight was a tough one, we have [Coral Springs] Charter in a couple weeks and then come back from spring break to Park Vista and American Heritage-Plantation. It just doesn’t get any easier from here on out.”
Wellington returns to the field on Monday against Forest Hill, and Palm Beach Gardens will travel to Boca on Tuesday.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Wellington softball ace Tori Payne shuts out Palm Beach Gardens
