Douglas advances to Class 8A semifinals
PARKLAND — Throughout the postseason, the road warrior Park Vista’s girls softball team always found a way to follow its path to its first trip to the state finals.
That road came to a dead end on Friday as Douglas junior pitcher Sami Feller tossed a complete-game, one-hitter in the regional final and propelled the host Eagles to the FHSAA Class 8A state semifinals for first time in school history with a 3-1 victory.
“It was a screeching halt,” said Park Vista coach Donna Burnett, whose Cobras (20-7) took out the state’s second and sixth ranked teams in Palm Beach Gardens, 1-0 and Boca Raton, 2-0 in 11 innings en route to the regional final. “We didn’t play our best defense and we didn’t put the ball in play like we normally do. I am excited though, because I have everybody back (next year) but two.”
Douglas (25-6) will play Coal Reef in the state semifinals next Friday at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach.
Feller walked four and struck out five and made just one mistake on a 2-2 pitch to the Cobras’ Vanessa Rubio, who lined her fourth home run of the season over the right centerfield fence to tie the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth.
“I had two strikes on her and wanted to throw a rise on her and it fell a little flat on me,” said Feller (15-5). “It is so huge to be going to state for the first time. We have six starting seniors and have been together so long, we have really come together.”
Douglas took a 1-0 lead in the first when Jessica England doubled to left and scored on an opposite field single by Kayla Boyle. After Park Vista tied it, the host Eagles got two-out hits in the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings by Katie Peterson and Jackie McKenna respectively to take the lead for good.
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS 10, WEST BOCA 0: For the first time this postseason, the Raiders faced a little adversity. It didn’t last long.
Up1-0, Aquinas committed two errors in the second inning and West Boca had two in scoring position. The Bulls failed to push a run across, however, and it would cost them.
In the bottom of the second, Thais Gonzalez cleared the bases with a double off the outfield wall that gave Aquinas a 4-0 lead and all but punched its ticket to the state finals for the third straight year.
The Raiders (22-6) are the two-time defending Class 7A champions. West Boca ends its season 24-6.
The Raiders now head to Vero Beach on an incredible tear, mercy ruling their past five opponents while outscoring them 72-0 in the process.
CORAL REEF 11, FLANAGAN1: The Barracudas trailed in the fifth inning and was seven outs away from having their season ended. After just one more out, it was over — Coral Reef scored 10 runs off 11 hits in the sxith to finish the Falcons off early thanks to the mercy rule.
Coral Reef (22-4-1) heads to the state semifinals for the third straight year.
Flanagan scored its only run in the fourth.