Spruce Creek, Deltona among 4 Volusia-Flagler softball teams in FHSAA playoffs

And then there were four.

The Florida High School Athletic Association released its softball playoff brackets Saturday morning, and a mere quartet of Volusia-Flagler teams survived the cut. Spruce Creek and Deltona avoided the drama, automatically clinching their spots as district champions, while University and Matanzas snagged at-large bids.

All four teams are scheduled to take the field for regional quarterfinal games at 7 p.m. Thursday. Listed below are breakdowns of the regions involving local schools, including short previews and quarterfinal pairings.

Baseball roundup: NSB, Deltona capture district championships; Spruce Creek drops thriller

Spruce Creek, University make Region 1-7A field

Local teams involved: Spruce Creek, University (14-11-1)

Buzz: Top-seeded Spruce Creek rolls into the playoffs on a sizzling 10-game winning streak, outscoring its opponents 73-9. The Hawks have the legitimate Division I ace — Kentucky commit Julie Kelley (13-1, 0.41 ERA, 169 Ks in 102⅓ IP) — and a surplus of hitters (.338 team average, 17 HRs) required to make a deep postseason run.

University will look to shake off a third defeat at the hands of the Hawks, a 9-0 scoreline in the District 2-7A final. The Titans have posted a .313 team average, with Addison Pertler and Nina Rios-Cruz combining for 21 extra-base hits.

Quarterfinal matchups

• (8) Mandarin at (1) Spruce Creek

• (7) University at (2) Lake Brantley

• (6) Timber Creek at (3) Creekside

• (5) Lake Mary at (4) Seminole

Deltona, Matanzas earn Region 1-5A berths

Local teams involved: Deltona (18-5), Matanzas (19-4)

Buzz: Seeded eighth at the start of the week, Deltona avoided any doubt of missing the playoffs by slipping past Matanzas, 5-3, in the District 4-5A championship game. The Wolves capitalized on six walks, and Sophia Weinrich came up clutch with a couple of RBIs. Sophie Strempel, CiCi Ortiz and Payton Woerner are among the Wolves who possess the championship experience from two springs ago.

Matanzas caught fire out of the gate, winning its first seven games of the season and built a strong enough résumé to withstand defeat in the district final. Leah Stevens not only leads the Volusia-Flagler area in strikeouts (184), but she also paces the Pirates in batting average (.455) and on-base percentage (.490). Ashley Sampselle has slugged three home runs, and Ruby Fogel is fresh off a three-hit night against Deltona.

Quarterfinal matchups

• (8) Columbia at (1) Middleburg

• (7) Fleming Island at (2) Fort Walton Beach

• (6) Matanzas at (3) Gulf Breeze

• (5) Deltona at (4) Gainesville

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: FHSAA softball playoffs: Regional preview for Volusia-Flagler teams