LAKE ASBURY - Opportunistic baserunners fueled by field errors allowed the Green Cove Springs Junior High softball team to win a dramatic 4-3 Northeast Florida Athletic Conference championship game 4-3 over Oakleaf Junior High while just 100 yards away, the Green Cove Springs baseball team won a 10-3 championship match over Lakeside. For the boys, the win was the fourth championship in the last five years for coach Dan Slater.
In the girls match, with Oakleaf up 2-1 in the third inning after scoring a run in the first inning and two singles bringing the second run, Green Cove mounted a comeback after two innings of scoreless play with outstanding defense on both sides.
In the bottom of the fifth, Green Cove got a walk to Cassidy Danisovszky and single by Callie Hamilton to tie the game off an error on a Chloe Rakers grounder that got an errant throw to first base.
A walk ensued before Emily Warden knocked a hard grounder to second base that put two more Cougars across home plate for a 4-2 lead.
Oakleaf did not yield with a run scored in the sixth off a single and grounder to 4-3, but Cougar pitcher Kinley Battle whiffed two batters to end the inning.
Danisovszky hit a hard grounder that got her safe to first as the game time limit expired for the win.
Mackenzie Deas opened on the mound for Green Cove and delivered five strikeouts in five innings. Battle finished the game for Green Cove. Oakleaf pitcher Emily Williams had eight strikeouts.
Green Cove finished their season at 10-4. Oakleaf finished at 7-7.
For the boys, 10-4 on the season, the Cougars scored seven runs in the first inning to push the pace on the Lakeside Gators.
The Cougars scored off three walks, three errors and a triple by Zack Brockhoff to 7-0.