ORANGE PARK - It was one of those games that the season records get thrown out the window and the kids just play as Clay High scored two seventh innings runs to chase Ridgeview High's Lady Panthers, but fell short in an 8-7 Ridgeview win Wednesday night at Ridgeview High School.
"This is one of those games that all the players know each other and play on the same teams in the summer and none of the records really matter," said Clay coach Matt Lewis, who saw his 10-5 record get dropped to 10-6 by the now 5-11 Panthers. "I had to lose and I'm glad it was an 8-7 game and not an 11-0 blowout. This was fun in that kind of way." For the Panthers, with junior pitcher Saige Bialek back on the mound after Ridgeview beat a tough Bishop Snyder team 8-7 just two days prior with Snyder at 11-5 and ranked 22nd in 2A and Bialek whiffing 10 and hitting a home run, coach Angela Agurkis put Bialek back on the mound and the burly hurler answered the call again with 13 strikeouts against Clay and a key single in the fourth inning to set up a run as Ridgeview went up 6-2.
"We've had some pretty tough games the past two weeks with Yulee, Oakleaf, Snyder and now Clay and I've told the girls that these are the games that prep us for the upcoming playoffs," said Agurkis. "I really think that they have bought into our process and now are having run playing together as one unit."
Clay struck first in the opening inning, 2-0, with two walks and a single by G Miller putting runs on the board.
Ridgeview's Nichole Deschamps answered with a double off Clay pitcher Sadie Russo that was followed by two more talks and a passed ball to score the game 2-1.
Miller faced a bases loaded situation in the second that got two Ridgeview runs to 3-2 for the Panthers.
"We'll take the runs any way we can; walks, singles, homers, errors," said Agurkis. "They all count."
Ridgeview got a triple from Payton Kirk in third to score Hannah Smith who was hit by ap pitch that Bella Jeffers followed with a double to put the Panthers up 5-2.
Bailek throttled up her game after a diving line drive stab by Ridgeview second baseman Meilani McNab then two strikeouts with another error giving Ridgeview a sixth run, 6-2.
After two strikeouts, Clay was not ready to relinquish with KK Rouw and Amiah Carrubba both singling to 6-3, the Brooke Hamilton and Hailie Miera singling to 6-5 in a Blue Devil flurry of bats.
"That's part of these kids DNA, keep playing hard," said Lewis. "If I'm still in the game, they are still in the game."
In the fifth, three singles got Miller in another bases loaded pickle before and wicked grounder from Emma Lundy put two more runs in, 8-5.
A swift double play by Kirk at shortstop extinguished the sixth inning for Clay's bats Bialek getting tough ground ball plays from her infields into the seventh.
Doubles from Carrubba, Leann Ellis and Miera for Clay spelled disaster for Agurkis and Bialek with an 8-7 score, but Bialek struck out Miller to end the game.
Carrubba, at short stop for Clay, had a handful of outstanding plays in the six for the Blue Devils.
Ridgeview keeps the test games coming with a road trip to Providence, the home against Ponte Vedra and Oakleaf.
Clay visits Ponte Vedra on Friday, April 4, the two more road games; St. Augustine and Creekside.
Orange Park got their second win of the season with a 14-11 win over St. Augustine led by nine runs in the sixth inning.
Fleming Island beat Bishop Snyder 5-4 on Tuesday, April 1, with Emma Massey scoring two runners with a sixth inning double.