Bradenton Christian softball edges Saint Stephen’s in 11 innings
Deklyn Falkner’s walk-off double in the bottom of the 11th inning lifted Bradenton Christian past Saint Stephen’s 10-9 in the quarterfinals of the Class 3A-District 5 softball tournament on Tuesday at Bradenton Christian. With the victory, the third-seeded Panthers advance to face second-seeded Admiral Farragut on Thursday. The semifinal will be at Bradenton Christian at 2 p.m.
Sunnie Woske pitched the first six innings, striking out six but allowing nine hits. Ariel Marciano pitched no-hit ball over the final five innings, striking out eight.
Abby Leahy went 4 for 6, including an inside-the-park home run, two triples and three RBIs. Ashlyn Prewitt also tripled as one of her three hits.
Lakewood Ranch 11, Manatee 0 (5): Pitcher Logan Newton struck out seven across five innings and the Mustangs shut out the Hurricanes at home to reach the Class 8A-District 8 final. Newton, Avery Goelz, Kinsey Goelz and Morgan Cummins blasted home runs for Lakewood Ranch (24-2) in the blowout of the Canes (10-12). The Mustangs will face Sarasota for the district title Thursday at home.
Sarasota 7, Palmetto 1: The Tigers’ (8-10) season came to an end with a lopsided loss to the host Sailors in the Class 8A-District 8 semifinals. The Sailors will go on the road to face Lakewood Ranch in the district championship Thursday.
Braden River 14, Brandon 0 (5): Jade Moy’s grand slam and Sarah Craford’s three-run homer powered the hosts in a Class 7A-District 9 semifinal shortened to five-innings. Moy finished with two hits and two runs scored. Crawford also had two hits, including a double, and drove in four. Ali Yawn allowed two hits and a walk and struck out three over five innings for the Pirates (21-5), who advance to Thursday’s district final at Seffner Armwood.
Bayshore 15, St. Petersburg Lakewood 0 (3): The Bruins needed three innings to blow out Lakewood at home in the Class 5A-District 11 semifinals. Bayshore (13-4) eliminated any suspense early, scoring nine runs in the first inning and triggering the mercy rule with six in the third. The Bruins will play host to Sarasota Booker in the Class 5A-11 championship Thursday.
Sarasota Booker 4, Southeast 2: Pitcher Faith Bruce struck out nine in seven innings, but two unearned runs in the fifth inning cost the host Seminoles against Booker in the Class 5A-District 11 semifinals. Junior Ambriel Jones and slugger DeJu Johnson both went 2 for 3 for the second-seeded Seminoles (8-11) in the loss. Josie McCrea earned the win for Booker, allowing eight hits and two runs. Mackenzie Everhart gave Booker the lead with a solo home run in the first inning.
Baseball
Out-of-Door Academy 3, Tampa Cambridge Christian 2: Duncan Cappar held Cambridge Christian to two runs across five innings, and Najee Rhodes homered to lead the host Thunder. Alex Dimare also drove in a run for the Thunder (18-4-2) in their penultimate game of the regular season. Out-of-Door Academy ends the regular season Wednesday in Fort Myers against the Green Wave.
Southeast 8, Sarasota Christian 7 (9): Kaden Steffen’s suicide squeeze bunt scored Austin Jenkins in the bottom of the ninth to lift the Seminoles (7-16) on senior night. Seniors Kareem Lewis (two-run double) and Kelton Blohm (two-run homer) had the big hits in Southeast’s five-run third inning. The homer was Blohm’s second of the season. Senior Alex Quinones went 5 1/3 innings before yielding to reliever Kyle Metters, who allowed one run the rest of the way to earn the win. The Seminoles conclude the regular season on Thursday against Gulf Coast HEAT.
This story was originally published April 25, 2017 at 11:42 PM with the headline "Bradenton Christian softball edges Saint Stephen’s in 11 innings."