Coming off a 1-6 loss from Lake Brantley, the girls varsity softball team needed a win, and that is exactly what they got at the Palm Harbor Tournament. Facing four competitors, the team dominated each match, leaving undefeated.
The team opened the tournament March 6 with a 13-1 win against Clearwater, jumping to an early lead with one run in the first inning and four more in the second. An eight-run fourth inning sealed the game, with the team finishing with 13 hits while holding Clearwater to just two.
The early momentum helped set the tone for the rest of the day.
“I think the tournament went really well from the beginning,” sophomore Campbell Downing said. “The first wins were allowing us to just keep rolling, people who struggled in the first game always came up big in the second and third games, or people that were running the bases were running well.”
The next matchup came against Durant, where the team secured a 5-2 win. The team scored early again, putting up one run in the first inning and two in the second. The team continued to apply pressure throughout the game, finishing with nine hits and limiting Durant to just three. Durant attempted a late rally with two runs in the seventh, but a strong defense prevented the comeback.
“I think the first day, we were able to get into a good rhythm, we got in our flow,” senior Nikki Thompson said. “The first wins gave us the confidence we needed to really do good like we did on the second day.”
Carrying their confidence from back-to-back wins, the team prepared for two more.
“Having that first win automatically gives you a boost,” coach Tom Kreahling said. “Being able to take that [win], and carry that confidence, it completely changes your mindset, it changes how you play the next game.”
Entering the second day of the tournament, the wins continued with a final score of 6-1 over Land O’ Lakes. The team scored in each of the first innings to build an early lead before adding insurance runs in the sixth and seventh. The offense totaled 11 hits while strong defensive play limited Land O’ Lakes to a single run.
The final game of the tournament against Newsome proved to be the most challenging. Newsome scored first in the fourth inning, but the team quickly responded with a run to tie the game. A three-run fifth inning ultimately secured a 4-1 victory.
“I think the Newsome game [was the hardest],” Downing said. “Everyone wants to go 4-0, which made that game more tense. We faced a pitcher with a lot of spin and just had defense on lockdown along with pitching and hitting, but we pulled runs across the board even though it was tough to get done, we did it all together as a team.”
Despite the initial close run, the game served as a final victory, the team leaving the tournament as winners.
“It felt amazing, having four wins on our belt,” Thompson. “I came into it with a good mindset, but leaving, I felt so much more confident in our skills.”
The strong play has extended beyond tournament competition. On March 10, the team faced Oviedo and finished with a strong 12-0 win. Scoring one hit in the first inning and four more in the second, they built a lead early and kept Oviedo scoreless throughout the game.
“Going into [the game], I saw that same confidence from the tournament,” Kreahling said. “That momentum just keeps building.”
As the season continues, the team hopes to continue in their victory and their strength as a team.
“We all really support each other, which is the most important thing needed to win games,” Downing said. “Us being able to talk to each other outside of softball and all be friends allows us to have fun while playing and trusting each other in pressured games.”
Looking ahead, the team will face Seminole March 12.
“I feel like we have so much ahead of us,” Thompson said. “I can’t wait to see how we continue to keep doing what we’re doing and winning.”
