Inaugural North Florida All-Star Softball Classic at Oakleaf High School (Orange Park). Join Mike Ridaught (Play-by-play) & Raymond Bureau (Color) for the 3rd-place game & Marty Pallman (Play-by-play) & Ray Bureau (Color) for the championship game.
RECAP – After losing to the South, 6-1, in their opening game, the West bounced back to defeat the North, 4-2, to claim third place at Oakleaf High School in Orange Park. Kensley Durrance of Class 1A Bell was stellar in the circle, retiring the final eight batters she faced. Durrance, who has signed to play at Eckerd College, struck out six batters in four innings, facing players like Hallie Kern of Class 9A Jacksonville Mandarin, a Jacksonville University signee, and Michigan State signee Jenae Wash of Class 7A St. Johns Creekside.
The West trailed 2-0 after a half inning of play, but rallied to tie the game in the bottom of the 2nd. After the first out had been recorded in the second, Bradford’s (Starke) Talia Brown walked and then Bell’s Kylee Barry reached on a throwing error by Trinity Christian’s (Jacksonville) Bailey Cooley, an Eastern Florida State College signee, which plated a run. Columbia’s (Lake City) Cris’Deona Beasley’s sacrifice bunt scored Barry to tie the game at 2.
In the fourth, Trenton’s Taniah Bowers reached on a 1-out error, and then Chiefland’s Macie Thomas delivered the game-winning hit, a 2-run home run to left field to give the West the win in a weather-shortened game.
The South scored four runs in the second inning to finish unbeaten and win the inaugural softball classic. Santa Fe (Alachua) pitcher Hailey Raulerson, a UNF signee, got the save in relief. RECAP
