MIDDLEBURG - A solo homer by senior KK Hagan, the first of her senior season, was the tipping point of a playoff-level clash between Middleburg and Oakleaf softball on Thursday, March 6 with the Broncos adding one more to win a 2-0 game as area teams get set for Spring Break.

"We've been playing a tough schedule and I do it on purpose to hopefully prepare for games like this," said Bronco head coach Ashley Houston, now 6-3 with upcoming matches with Providence, Trenton, Keystone Heights and Yulee before Spring Break. "We just keep competing. We want the challenge."
Oakleaf coach Heather Han, who has seen her team get on base in numerous games, but fall short in getting runs across the plate.
"We definitely had our opportunities, but, unfortunately, we did not cash them in," said Han, who has a district game with Tocoi Creek and Columbia both visiting Oakleaf next week. "We have some younger kids that are now getting their chance to experience high level play. We try to replicate these scenarios in practice by practicing at a high level. We do our best to push our kids to make them a little bit better."
For the game, Oakleaf entered with senior pitcher Charlotte Maddox on the mound battling with Middleburg senior Lily Bennett in a duel of gunslingers that promised a low scoring game, but Oakleaf nearly started with a flurry with a bases loaded scenario in the first inning behind a series of grounders; a single by Jaydyn Beall and consecutive grounders from Ava Tolbert and Avery Garcia and a Maddox single that looked to chase Bennett from the mound quickly.
Stoically, Bennett, who finished with nine strikeouts on the night, stayed in the fight and got out of the inning thanks in part to a deep fly ball chase from Bronco left fielder Mallory Ficklin, who, on the final out of the night, made a diving stab with Beall on base off an error to seal the win for the Broncos.
Ficklin also added to the Hagan's homer with a double to score Kerra Clarida, who was on via a single to left field.
"KK is one of the hardest workers on the team and she was due to have her game," said Houston, who continues with Providence and Trenton (Monday, March 10) next on the schedule. "This game is like the ones we have had that are designed to test us. We take our lumps, but we learn a little more about how hard we want to play."
Han liked that her girls were close enough to almost beat a state title chasing Bronco team.
"Hats off to Middleburg and coach Ashley Houston because they have a lot of kids like KK who is a Jacksonville University signee," said Han. "We have to develop that level of play to compete for our goals; a district title, then a state run."
Maddox finished with six strikeouts in four innings with zero runs with Janiah Henderson finishing with four strikeouts and the two runs scored.
In one other county rivalry clash, Fleming Island beat Ridgeview 10-0 despite Ridgeview outhitting the Golden Eagles six to five.
Ridgeview opened with two baserunners in the first inning, but no runs, while Fleming Island got two walks off Ridgeview pitcher Saige Bialek that got cashed in with a Mallory Blackwell single.
Two passed balls by Bialek allowed Fleming Island to go up 4-0 into the second inning.
Fleming Island executed a nifty double play along the way with third baseman Ashley Madine scooping a Nicole Deschamps grounder hitting Blackwell at second with Blackwell firing to first to nail Deschamps.
A double from Madine in the fourth scored the game 8-0 with Brooke Wilson doubling in the fifth then scoring the game to 10-0 with a Karsyn Robinson single.
Fleming Island, 5-1, next has a road game at Clay on Tuesday, February 11, then two more road games to Creekside and St. Augustine.
Ridgeview, 2-3, has Bartram Trail, Atlantic Coast and Clay on their upcoming schedule.