OAKLEAF – Oakleaf High softball has had names like Sweatt, Davis and Arturo as power-pitchers guiding the Final Four aspirations in past years, but 2020 may be a batter’s festival for coach Christina Thompson as the Lady Knights have racked up 36 runs in their first four games; all wins.

“I’m very happy with our pitching under Madi McDaniels,” said Thompson. “Against Fletcher (a 6-5 win), we had nine walks, but our hitting and defense held up and we won that one.”

With wins of 11-1 over Providence, 9-2 over Middleburg, 10-0 over Nease and the close 6-5 win over Fletcher, the Knights have been hammering away at enemy pitchers behind a top of the lineup slug show from Katie Kistler (.429), Khloe Banks (.500), Jaeda McFarland (.667), Kaylee Lambrecht (.500) and Jaycie Brookshire (.625).

Against Fletcher, an RBI single by McFarland after Banks got on base with an error created a walkoff winning play for the Knights against a tough Lady Senators’ team.

“Fletcher played well, they have a good program and play good solid softball,” said Thompson. “We try to emphasize doing the little things to be successful.”

Oakleaf pitcher Madi McDaniels, a junior, got into a bases loaded situation in the second inning with two singles, an error and a walk as the Lady Senators took a upset-potential 2-0 lead.

Oakleaf’s batting lineup answered for their newest arm on the mound with a single to Kaylee Lambrecht setting up a two run right field home run blast by Brookshire that quickly tied the game at 2-2. Fletcher held the Oakleaf offense to three straight fly balls to endure the possible runs surge. “We have always been able to hit the ball,” said Thompson. “That pitcher was very good and getting us to hit in the air.”

Fletcher came right at Oakleaf in the top of the third with two walks and a single loading the bases a second time to push the Lady Senators up 3-2 with a double to the centerfield fence scoring two more for a 5-2 Fletcher lead.

Then, Oakleaf stepped on the throttle and got McFarland and company to the basepaths with Kistler grounding out in front of a double to center field from Banks, a sophomore.

“She’s from the Gainesville area,” said Thompson. “She’s very fast on the bases and a good overall player.”

A McFarland single to right field scored the fleet-footed Banks before Windesheim hit a flyout and Lambrecht got on base with an error in left field scoring McFarland to put the game at 5-4.

Fletcher again got baserunners with three walks putting the game in jeopardy again before a heads up double play effort by Kistler in centerfield on a fly ball caught Fletcher’s Dacie Watterson at home plate to end the inning.

Oakleaf tied the game at 5-5 with a walk to Banks and a Windesheim single.

Against Providence, an 11-1 win, Lambrecht homered and the Knights got doubles from Brookshire, McFarland and Jadriana Serrano to create 11 runs batted in on the day.

Against Middleburg, a 9-2 win, Brookshire hit a homer with Brookshire, Lambrecht and McFarland all hitting for two runs batted in. McDaniel had three strikeouts in seven innings.

Against Nease, a 10-0 win, Oakleaf scored five runs in the fourth to win off 12 hits with Kistler and McFarland both hitting triples and Serrano hitting two doubles. The fateful fourth inning featured a triple by Kistler, a double from Serrano and singles from Ciara Gibson and Mariyah Sanchez. A Brookshire double and three singles pushed the score to 10-0 in the fifth.

Clay opens big with Tornadoes; fall to Palatka

Clay High’s softball team scored in all four of the first four innings to cruise to a 12-2 opening win over Bradford County on Thurs., Feb. 20.

With pitcher Morgan Crutcher knocking out eight strikeouts, the Clay bats erupted with two walks and two bunts in the first inning for a 2-0 lead; a walk, an error and a Morgan Silvis two run double upping the game to 4-1; a Crutcher run scoring double and three grounders going to 6-1 with a bases loaded on walks RBI single from Kailah McKean getting to 8-2 and a grounder to Crutcher putting the score at 9-2.

In the Palatka loss, Clay gave up four runs in the third even though Crutcher finished with eight strikeouts in the loss. Palatka pitcher Amy Kennedy shredded the Clay batting lineup with 13 strikeouts.

Lady Indians open with loss; then four straight wins

With a 7-2 loss to Santa Fe, a 5A region finalist last year, on their season opener, Keystone Heights High softball strung out four straight losses as the Lady Indians look to return to Final Four readiness with a strong returning roster.

Indians pitcher Daelynn Eatmon dished out nine strikeouts, but Santa Fe pitcher Made Hewett upped that to 12 whiffs off her mound to stymie the Lady Indians bats.

Against Palatka, Kinley Carlton homered with Kiley Channell getting two runs batted in. Mady Mitzel started and lasted four innings with Eatmon finishing with seven strikeouts.

Keystone Heights hammered for five runs in the third inning; four singles; Asia Givens, Ashton Ludwig, Channell and Kendall Gagnon, to go up 6-4.

Keystone Heights exploded in the sixth inning for five runs in the Middleburg 9-2 win with a Ludwig double, a Givens single and a Carlton double being aided by a handful of Lady Bronco errors.

Against Baker County, Keystone Heights got a seventh inning run off a Ludwig double to score Megan Green who had singled.

Panthers on third straight win

After a nine inning 1-0 loss to West Nassau in their season opener, the Ridgeview High softball team, a Final Four finisher in 6A last year, has rattled off three wins; 7-4 over Baker County, 3-0 over First Coast and a 10-0 over Nease on February 28.

Against West Nassau, a 5A region semifinalist, two singles and a bunt did the trick for West Nassau with Ridgeview unable to cash in on two walks in the bottom of the ninth inning for the loss.

In a game of high stakes pitching, Ridgeview’s Brittany Michael whiffed 13 batters with West Nassau getting nine.

Against Baker County, a 5A region finalist, three runs in the sixth fended off the Lady Wildcats who scored two in the first inning and were still within a run in the sixth at 4-3.

In the fifth doubles from Alyssa Adams and Ashlyn Halford put Ridgeview up 4-3 with back-to-back singles to Jaden Marsh and Brooke Michael pushed the lead to 6-3.

Against Nease, on a cold night, both lineups were scoreless to the third before Ridgeview exploded for five runs in the fourth off a handful of errors and five more in the fifth off a Brooke Michael homer with Malari Sablan and Halford on base from singles. Raven Little singled in the 10th run.

Pitcher Malani Sibano pitched a perfect game with no hits and eight strikeouts as well as no walks.

West Nassau homer dooms Broncos

West Nassau returned to Middleburg High after a soppy field forced a move of last week’s to Friday in 3 p.m. sunshine, but a three-run centerfield homer by West Nassau put the Lady Broncos behind early in a 7-1 loss.

Middleburg used pitchers Kaylee Crickmore and Haleigh Campbell but were unable to slow down the bat production for West Nassau.