Softball: Region final breakdown — May 19

Here are the capsules for area softball teams playing in tonight’s region finals. The winners advance to next week’s state semifinals. 

Class 6A

Mitchell (18-8) at Land O’ Lakes (19-10), 7

An epic rivalry matchup between a defending semifinalist (the Mustangs) and a defending state finalist (the Gators). This is the third meeting between the teams. Mitchell won the first two, including a 9-2 victory in the semifinals of the 6A-5 district semifinals. Though the Mustangs are undefeated against their Pasco County rival this season, Land O’ Lakes gets to host because it has a higher RPI ranking. In the region semifinals, Mitchell outlasted Bloomingdale, scoring three runs in the ninth inning to win 7-4. Madisen Antioco, Sydney Fowler and Vanessa Neptune each had three hits for the Mustangs. The Gators also put up big numbers in their 7-3 semifinal victory over Palmetto. Land O’ Lakes ended up with 10 hits, including two each from Makenna Bellaire, Mia Fields and Jadyn Spencer. 

Stat leaders
CategoryMitchellLand O’ Lakes
Batting averageSydney Fowler, .435Makenna Bellaire, .488
Home runsKinnah Kreidler, 5Two tied with five.
RBIsKinnah Kreidler, 27Makenna Bellaire, 38
ERASydney Fowler, 2.10Aliana Mercado, 1.61
StrikeoutsSydney Fowler, 87Aliana Mercado, 100

Class 5A

East Bay (16-12) at Seminole (20-1), 7

The Warhawks, ranked third in the class by MaxPreps, are having the best season in school history and are trying to reach the state semifinals for the first time. In the region semifinals, Seminole knocked off rival Osceola for the time this season. Peyton Hoffman scored three runs, Davia Schweitzer drove in two runs and Randi Tubbs had two hits to lead the Warhawks on offense. Mackenzie Duford also had five strikeouts on the mound in the 4-3 victory. This should be a strong pitching matchup. The Indians advanced with a 4-0 victory over Northeast in the semifinals. East Bay ace Elana Roush threw a one-hit shutout with 17 strikeouts. Aisha Duncan, Gaby Miller and Roush each had two hits and Kimora O’Kimosh drove in two runs to lead the offense. 

Stat leaders
CategoryEast BaySeminole
Batting averageElana Roush, .351Peyton Hoffman, .474
Home runsJensen Nelson, 2Brittany Gingrich, 1
RBIsGaby Miller, 16Randi Tubbs, 16
ERAElana Roush, 1.67Mackenzie Duford, 0.70
StrikeoutsElana Roush, 290Mackenzie Duford, 166
River Ridge (16-11) at South Lake (17-11), 7

This is a rematch from a game the Royal Knights won 4-1 in March. After losing a pair of one-run games, River Ridge has won two straight by a run, including a 4-3 victory over South Fork in the region semifinals. Emma Galuba, Sophie Johnson and Lauren Kreshon each had two hits for the Royal Knights. To reach the state semifinals, River Ridge will have to get past the Eagles, who are ranked fifth in the class by MaxPreps and have recorded shutouts in their first two playoff games. 

Stat leaders
CategoryRiver RidgeSouth Lake
Batting averageSophie Johnson, .476Nia Debenedittis, .386
Home runsSophie Johnson, 9Three tied with one.
RBIsSophie Johnson, 33Three tied with 12.
ERAJordan Sheets, 1.97Alanna O’Brien, 2.44
StrikeoutsJordan Sheets, 131Alanna O’Brien, 114

Class 3A

Academy of the Holy Names (15-7) at Calvary Christian (21-6), 7

This is a rematch from a game the Warriors won 6-5 in March with the go-ahead run coming in the top of the seventh inning. Both teams got payback for district final losses in the region semifinals. The defending champion Jaguars knocked off rival Berkeley Prep 6-5. Genevieve Chiellini and Keala Hollenkamp each had three hits and Camryn Feast was 2-for-2 for Academy of the Holy Names. The Warriors, ranked fifth in the class by MaxPreps, got past Parrish Community 2-0. Morgen Talley threw a two-hit shutout with 16 strikeouts and had a pair of doubles. Elizabeth George also had two hits and an RBI. 

Stat leaders
CategoryAcademy of the Holy NamesCalvary Christian
Batting averageCamryn Feast, .479Morgen Talley, .493
Home runsTwo tied with three. Morgen Talley, 8
RBIsMaisi Sigler, 24Morgen Talley, 33
ERAKeala Hollenkamp, 2.00Mackenzie Bergstrom, 1.18
StrikeoutsKeala Hollenkamp, 128Morgen Talley, 112