Miriam Schmoll leads Bayshore to 5A state softball semifinal victory
VERO BEACH -- Frank Luther's instructions were clear: "If we bat first, we've got to score first," he told Miriam Schmoll and LaShara James.
The two Bayshore standouts knew this wasn't just idle talk from their coach trying to get his players pumped. They are the stalwarts of a young team that might have been feeling a little overwhelmed in the Bruins' Class 5A softball state semifinal on Friday at Historic Dodgertown.
So they took their coach's instructions to heart. James opened the game with a double and Schmoll followed with a screeching line drive over the left field fence to stake the Bruins to a two-run lead.
Bayshore (18-3) never lost the lead, earning a 5-1 victory against Class 5A defending state champion Baker County (22-6). The victory sends the Bruins to the state title game where they will meet Coral Springs Charter at 10:05 a.m. Saturday.
"It definitely put the momentum on our side," Schmoll said.
"If we didn't score first, it was going to be their game," James added. "If me and Mimms aren't on go, the whole team is not on go.
It's nice to capitalize and be ahead."
James added a solo homer in the third, and Schmoll banged a two-run single in the fifth that scored James, giving the Bruins a 5-0 lead.
Despite coming into the game with a .557 batting average and four homers, Schmoll felt her hitting was slipping and spent several hours with her batting coach earlier the week.
"I went to him because my batting has been off a little and we really worked on it," Schmoll said.
While the two standouts were doing their damage with their bats, Schmoll was dominant on the mound and gave a lot of thanks to James, who is also her battery mate.
"I feel so comfortable with her back there. LaShara is an amazing player and I love her catching me. It calms me down to have her back there," Schmoll said.
The pitching for the Bruins is a three-way process. James gets the signal from pitching coach Shawn Schmoll, Miriam's father, and relays them to the mound. They are both allowed to change the call, though that doesn't happen often.
Baker County hit only one ball hard, a homer by Madison Kennedy in sixth. But Schmoll found herself in a couple of jams because of two fielding errors by the Bruins and a pop up that dropped in. Neither fazed Schmoll. She pitched out of bases-loaded jam in the fifth and did not allow a run in the fourth when the Wildcats put two runners on.
"We struggled defensively and when that happens I have to step it up and be a captain and talk to my fielders and calm them down," James said. "We were playing a little too hectic. It has happened before but we learned to overcome."
Schmoll was untouchable to start the game. The right-hander retired the first 10 batters she faced striking out seven.
The first hit off Schmoll was a bloop single just behind her reach in the fourth. Baker County followed with a pop up that dropped in front of the right fielder, but Schmoll got the next two batters on a strikeout and a pop up.
"She is one of the only pitchers I coached that gets tougher in tough situations and gets the momentum to swing to her," Bayshore head coach Frank Luther said. "She doesn't get nervous and plays up tempo to the moment, that's what I love about her."
Schmoll was a workhorse on the mound. She threw 122 pitches, including 83 for strikes. She struck out 10, walked one and allowed five hits.
Schmoll and James handled Baker County ace Macy Jackson, who pitched the Wildcats to the state title in last year's championship game. The righthander came into the game at 14-3 with a 1.38 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 111 innings.
Schmoll was 3 for 3 with 3 RBIs and James went 2 for 3 with an RBI
Alan Dell, Herald sports columnist/writer, can be reached at 941-745-7056. Follow him on Twitter @ADellSports
This story was originally published May 6, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Miriam Schmoll leads Bayshore to 5A state softball semifinal victory ."