Warriors winners again
VERO BEACH — Lauren Mathis closed out her high school career with another clutch pitching performance help West Orange claim back-to-back softball state titles.
Mathis struck out 13 batters and held off Palm Harbor University with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh in a 1-0 win Saturday in the Class 9A state championship game at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach.
Both teams were held to four base hits.
“Lauren's gotten better and better along the way over the last few weeks,” West Orange coach Todd LaNeave said.
“How appropriate is it that Lauren is in the circle as a senior, and then a senior shortstop gets the final out for the game?”
After Amanda Fleming caught a line drive to close out the game, the team converged in celebration in the pitcher’s circle.
Lexie Blair scored the game’s only run after connecting on a triple to right field to lead off the sixth inning.
The junior speedster crossed home plate for the game’s only run when Morgan Arcia popped out in the same direction two batters later.
Blair also played a role defensively in the bottom of the seventh. She quickly fielded a sharp single to left to keep a runner from scoring.
West Orange is the first public school in area history to win consecutive softball state championships since the FHSAA converted from slowpitch to fastpitch in 1998.
Before Saturday night’s dramatic Warriors’ win, only one school in state history had repeated in the largest fastpitch classification. Palm Beach Gardens won consecutive titles in 2005 and 2006 and again in 2010 and 2011 when the top class was 6A.