OAKLEAF - Ridgeview High softball coach Angela Agurkis summoned the spirits of her state championship days at Oakleaf High School when she was the catcher for coach Christina Thompson and created a "dog fight" mentality for her very small and inexperienced Panther team to will together a quasi-monumental upset of sorts with a 4-2 win over 14th ranked in Class 4A Yulee on Thursday at the Oakleaf High School Tournament of Champions.
"I keep telling them to keep the dog in the fight and wait for an opportunity to make the big play," said an elated Agurkis after the topsy turvy game proved fruitful with a diving outfielder catch, a spectacular RBI bunt and a pitcher stab on the final out. "I have yet to have a game with a full roster due to injury or illness of whatever and these kids just keep playing hard. I tell them it will pay off maybe not this year, but maybe next year."
Agurkis, with the win just her third of the season with eight losses, had one coaching shift that proved to be a catalyst for the team when catch K.K. Watts broke a thumb and Agurkis installed junior third baseman Nicole Deschamps as her catcher.
"She's one of the few returners from last year and probably our team leader out there," said Agurkis. "She has filled that role as a commander on the field with her directions on defense and her bat in the lineup."
In the game, with Yulee holding just a slim 1-0 from an outfield error in the third inning, Agurkis got her first spectacular play from freshman right fielder Brielle Fuquay who made a diving stab of a line drive just inside the first base line that would have given Yulee as least one more run after the RBI double.
"That's what we talk about all day, making plays," said Agurkis. "As the young players understand the speed of the high school game, they will be able to make those plays."
In the fifth, Yulee again added a run with a wicked hit past third baseman Peyton Kirk that put a baserunner at second base, eventually third base with a passed ball by pitcher Saige Bialek. A fielder's choice grounder scored the second Yulee run; 2-0.
At this point, Agurkis went to Deshchamps to chat with the team huddle between innings and the move paid off with dividends.
"I just told them to play smart, play fast and keep the ball in front of them," said Deschamps, also vying for the MISS Ridgeview crown in April. "This team is a a bunch of young guns that maybe just need someone to give them direction every now and then."
Whatever Deschamps message conveyed, Ridgeview exploded in the bottom of the fifth with a blooper to Hannah Smith, a hard single to Chloe Riegel and a spectacular third base bunt by freshman Arianys Jimenez that got the first Ridgeview run on the board.
"That was about a beautiful a bunt as I've ever seen," said Agurkis. "And, I think her first one with a run scoring from it."
After Jimenez got the ball rolling (pun intended), Kirk, the lone senior, answered with a ripped double to centerfield to tie the game at 2-2. A fielders' choice grounder by Deschamps got one more run and a single from Bialek put the score at 4-2.
"Then, we had to play defense," said Agurkis.
Yulee, in typical Yulee fashion, attacked at the batters box opening with a double, but Bialek got a fly ball to left field where Smith made the snag, then a strikeout before ending the inning with a cat-like stab of a line drive off the mound.
"We call her the robot because she is so fast like that,"said Agurkis.
With a new pitcher on the mound for Yulee, Ridgeview mustered a walk, but baserunner Addison Kochman got tagged stealing second and Yulee's at bat ended the game at 4-2.
Oakleaf, in the second game of the day, beat Yulee 2-0 behind 10 strikeouts from senior pitcher Charlotte Maddox and a double and RBI triple from Ava Tolbert with Oakleaf to play Ridgeview on Friday at 3 p.m. Jaydyn Beall had an RBI single for the Knights, now 5-5.