Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Title games
Coral Springs Charter, American Heritage and Wellington advance to state softball finals.
VERO BEACH — It was one of those game-deciding moments, and Amanda Flynn was feeling a little stressed. But the Coral Springs Charter senior was also feeling something else: Determined. “I wanted to be the one that broke open the doors,” Flynn said. “I didn’t want this to be my last game. That’s not how I wanted to end everything. I wanted to take it. I found a way, and I did it.” Oh yes, she did. Flynn’s two-run triple in the bottom of the fifth inning erased a 1-0 deficit and helped propel the Panthers to a 3-1 victory over Walton Friday morning in the Class 5A state semifinals at Historic Dodgertown.
Coral Springs Charter will play for its third straight state championship Saturday at 10:05 a.m. against Eustis, which beat Hardee 9-5 in Friday’s other state semifinal.
Senior pitcher Ally Muraskin was dominant once again for the Panthers, striking out 14 while giving up four hits. Walton’s lone run came in the top of the fourth inning following a throwing error.
Walton would pressure on CSC in both of its final at-bats, but Muraskin and the Panthers defense came up when it had to.
The game, meanwhile, turned in the fifth inning with the Panthers down 1-0 and having left a runner stranded at third an inning earlier.
Tatianna Luersen singled. Kiara Meikle came up to the plate to bunt her over, but was walked instead. That brought up Flynn.“Amanda’s been on fire all season,” Muraskin said. “I knew she was going to come up big for us.”
Following Flynn’s triple, which came on an inside changeup she was ale to insideout down the first baseline. It also touched off a huge celebration in the CSC dugout.
“My catcher (Gianna Boccagno), after Amanda had that base hit, we ran to each other from the other end of the dugout, gave each other a huge hug and said, ‘it’s not our last game yet.’ ”
A sacrifice fly by Christina Arcos would score Flynn with the third run.
As she was about to throw the final pitch of the game, Muraskin took a moment to step behind the mound, sift a little dirt and collect her thoughts … right before ending the game with another strikeout.
“I was just replaying that hug we gave each other, and [thinking] how I didn’t want it to end yet,” Muraskin said. “Then I was like, ‘One more pitch and then 21 more outs.”