MATANZAS - In a classic mano-a-mano showdown of epic proportions, Middleburg High senior softball pitcher Lily Bennett put up her best game in her career in challenging the arm of Matanzas High's Leah Stevens, a University of Florida signee, in an eighth inning extravaganza that ended with Stevens knocking out a centerfield RBI single to give the Pirates a 2-1 win in the region 1-5A semifinal on Tuesday, May 13 at Matanzas High School. The Broncos finish their season at 19-9.
In region 1-6A, Oakleaf High lost a 5-0 match against No. 1 seed Pace High to end their season at 12-17.  Pace pitcher  Hannah Demarcus issued 20 strikeouts against the Knights with just three hits; one a double by Zoe Schmehl.

Middleburg pitcher Lily Bennett knew of her fate; to face off against one of the toughest pitchers in Florida softball, and had all day at school to think her strategy. 
"I knew the morning of the game that I was going to be the starting pitcher and my mindset was to give her my very best," said Bennett, who is headed to Florida State College in Jacksonville in the fall. "My teammates behind me also gave their A-game in a night that we just came up short in the end."
After Stevens stunned the Middleburg strong crowd with a first inning homer that put the Broncos on their heels, coach Ashley Houston, inning by inning, saw her Bronco team battle relentlessly to recover with second baseman Cloey Ballinger going full horizontal to save a would-be extra bases line drive late in the game and batter Isabel Pifer diving to first base to try and beat out a seventh inning grounder.
"I can't ask for more from this team," said Houston. "We gave them our best shots and they gave us their best shots. It just didn't bounce our way. Lily finished out her career with a great game and her teammates backed her up the whole way."
With Stevens strong-arming the Bronco batting lineup with 20 strikeouts in the game; with Bennett blasting for 10, the Broncos struck in the third inning with Mallory Ficklin, the hero of the Broncos' thrilling 5-4 region opener win over Milton last week with an 3RBI triple, outran a beautiful bunt down the first base line to get the only run for Middleburg when an error on a Pifer bunt after Micklin stole second, put Micklin across home plate.
"We knew we had to make our own plays," said Micklin. "Coach Houston had a game plan of hits and baserunning and that we would have to take advantage because we weren't going to get a bunch of hits against her."
In the fifth, with both pitchers throwing haymakers to keep the basepaths clean, Ballinger came up with her gamesaving play behind second base as Matanzas got looped shot over Bennett's outstretched glove that looked to get to centerfield only to have Ballinger dive and knock the ball down without a throw.
"It wasn't a hard hit ball, but it could have gotten her to second base,"said Ballinger. "We knew we were going to have to get dirty in this game to make plays."
Pifer came up big twice as the game progressed with a seventh inning dive to first base on a grounder that was oh so close, then a stab of a hard line drive in the bottom of the seventh to leave a Matanzas baserunner stranded.
"We've played a monster schedule just to be ready for a game like this," said Houston.
In the eighth inning, with both teams placing a baserunner at second base to start, Stevens whiffed three batters in her stanza, then smacked the gamewinner to centerfield to end the game.
Matanzas, the No. 2 seed, now 23-1, advanced to play at No. 1 Niceville (20-6) in the region championship game. Niceville beat Chiles 3-1 to advance.