OAKLEAF - With three days of hard-grinding softball on display at the Oakleaf Tournament of Champions highlighting north Florida prowess in the sport, it was almost fitting that the final game of the three-day round-robin tournament featured a knuckle-biter between the two local teams.

"You know I don't like our situation right now," said Ridgeview High coach Angela Agurkis, after a first game 8-0 loss to University Christian after successive losses of 7-3 to Bartram Trail and 10-0 to Oakleaf before the tournament. "Sometimes a team takes a slow start to figure out their greatness. I think this Spring Break tournament was a huge turnaround for the Panthers."

For Oakleaf coach Heather Han, who entered the tournament with three wins of 4-1 over Winter Springs, 5-2 over Fleming Island and the aforementioned 10-0 over Ridgeview, the batting lineup is still a shuffle, but the fielding is what is her biggest concern.

"Game one, a 7-2 loss to Fort White, was a tough loss," said Han, after the 7-2 loss to Fort White. "We had opportunities to put away a good team and didn't take them. There were two balls that we had chances on that dropped in which led to Fort White scoring late."

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Tournament of Champions roster

Fort White, Class 1A, 7-2, 2023 Region quarters

University Christian, Class 2A, 7-2, 2023 2A champions

Ridgeview, Class 5A, 2-5, 2023 Region final

Oakleaf, Class 6A, 6-4, 2023 Region quarters

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For Ridgeview, the slate from the 10-0 romp by Oakleaf in the regular season final; six runs in the first three innings thanks to an error and a wild pitch and hard-hitting from Oakleaf's Charlotte Maddox and Camryn Beall, before the Spring Break, an opening loss of 8-0 to University Christian, with University's power pitcher Sophia Kardatzke's 11 Ks for the day, started badly with a second-inning homer off Ridgeview starter Saige Bialek.

Agurkis gave her best Sunday-go-meeting post-game huddle and the Panthers came back with a 2-0 loss to Fort White with Fort White scoring two in the second and holding court in a pitching duel between Ridgeview senior Hannah Crosby who got just two strikeouts, but weathered numerous innings with outstanding field play behind her.

"Every day we are becoming stronger and smarter athletes and something finally clicked," said Agurkis. "As a coach, I am excited to see what prevails out of this squad. Don't count us out yet."

Crosby opened her at-bats with a monster triple in the first, but Megan Jeffers struck out to leave her there in Ridgeview's first salvo in the batter's box.

Jeffers stepped up in the field in the follow-up at-bat with a nifty ground-out snag from her third base position with Crosby whiffing one.

Jeffers kept busy in the third inning with a heads-up toss to home plate stymying a run attempt after bobbling a hard grounder to put runners in play for Fort White. Fort White would score their two runs off a long single to center field before Crosby and A Stephens combined for an inning-ending double play on a fly ball and a not-tag by the Fort White baserunner at second base.

Oakleaf, in their first game, a 7-2 loss to Fort White, held a 1-0 first-inning lead to the sixth inning with Jaydyn Beall on base via a bunt, then scoring off a sacrifice fly by Maddox. The slim lead held until a hurricane hit and Fort White took advantage of errors to score three, then four in the seventh; the three via a center field fly error after three singles, the four via a triple after two singles in the seventh.

Against University Christian, a 5-3 rebound win, Oakleaf got behind 2-0 in the first, but methodically, with four uncharacteristic straight walks by Kardatzke, got one run back.

Maddox got stung with a homer in the second by Kardatzke to retake the lead before doubles by Meshayla Pettaway and Mirelez put points on the board for Oakleaf.

Maddox and Mirelez, at first base, executed a double play in the next inning to put Oakleaf back at bat.

A second double from Mirelez scored Maddox for the final run in the fifth.

With both teams; Ridgeview and Oakleaf, battered and bruised from their previous two games in the tournament, Saturday's final game would be a fitting regroup for both teams as the second half of the regular season resumes this week as Mirelez scored 21 outs from the mound with six strikeouts and eight hits by Ridgeview getting stuff on the field to hold the shutout.

"Univesity Christian is always a tough team and playing any Clay County team twice within a 10-day stretch is going to be tough," said Han. "Our upperclassmen are pushing the younger kids to be better."

Crosby doubled in the first; no runs scored. Ridgeview got two singles in the third; no runs scored.

Maddox loads the bases with a single in the third; no runs scored.

Torrence doubles and Kirk bunts to third; no runs scored in the fifth.

A Crosby walk to Jaydyn Beall turns into a run scored with a Maddox single.

In the sixth, Haylee McRae doubles for Ridgeview; no runs scored.

In the seventh, Bialek was hit by pitch from Mirelez, Torrence singles, Camryn Beall to second baseman Zoe Schmehl for game-ending double play.

Upcoming schedules

Monday, March 18

St. Johns Country Day School (4-3) at Eagles View

Tuesday, March 19

Clay (1-9) at St. Augustine

Fleming Island (5-2) at Ridgeview (4-4-1)

Wednesday, March 20

Orange Park (3-4) at Bradford

St. Augustine at Fleming Island

Thursday, March 21

Oakleaf (7-4) at Tocoi Creek

Keystone Hts (4-2) at Santa Fe

Clay at Middleburg (8-1)

SJCDS at St. Joseph Academy

Friday, March 22

Keystone Heights at Clay

Orange Park at Tocoi Creek

Fleming Island at Bartram Trail

Ridgeview at Middleburg

Monday, March 25

Bradford at Keystone Hts

Providence at Clay

Fleming Island at Orange Park

Tuesday, March 26

Keystone Hts at Oakleaf

Bolles at Orange Park

Creekside at Fleming Island

SJCDS at Peniel Baptist Academy