Aquinas boys, girls trounce opponents
FORT LAUDERDALE — As softball regional semifinals and baseball regional quarterfinals were played across Florida on Tuesday night, St. Thomas Aquinas hosted one of each on its two diamonds.
The Raiders came away with a pair of run-rule postseason victories — softball 10-0 over South Plantation in five innings and baseball 12-0 against Spanish River in six.
“We have a great athletic tradition, so to be able to host two regional games at the same time just says that all of our sports programs are succeeding,” said senior pitcher Blake Hely, who shut out the Sharks.
Minutes after Kristen Sacca singled to shallow leftcenter to clinch the softball team’s win, Andres Antonini sealed the baseball game with a grand slam to center field, which nearly hit the softball players huddled up in their outfield postgame talk.
“As long as we win, it’s awesome. Doesn’t matter if I go 0 for 3, 3 for 3,” said Antonini, a Pitt signee, of clinching the victory. “We’re the only two teams left. … The school’s counting on us, so we’re doing whatever we can to finish it.”
Softball advances to a regional final rematch from last year against Cooper City on Friday. Baseball gets Coral Glades in regional semifinals next Tuesday. for
Hely and Gabriella Nori each pitched two-hit shutouts — Hely fanned six while Nori struck out seven.
“I think Amanda [Agemy] behind the plate has gotten a lot better this season and she knows how to call pitches,” Nori said. “I know I have my defense behind me.”
Caleb Roberts and Riley Rosario each hit two-run home runs to center against River. Cade Fergus hit a triple that cleared the bases when they were loaded in the fifth.
The softball team had a four-run third with Lauren Stansell tripling off the leftfield wall to bring in a run and then coming in on a sacrifice fly. Agemy hit a tworun single later in the frame. Nori and Madison Granberry each did the same as part of a five-run fourth.
“Good crowd, good atmosphere,” St. Thomas softball coach Bryan Baucom said. “We just had to watch for a lot of flying baseballs.”
The baseball team was without coach Troy Cameron, who was dealing with a family emergency. First-base coach Joey Wardlow handled managerial duties.
It’s the second consecutive season that Aquinas has hosted playoff games in the two sports on the same night. Last year, the Raiders topped Spanish River in a softball regional semifinal and Coral Glades in a baseball regional quarterfinal.
dfurones@sunsentinel .com, @DavidFurones_