Prep softball: Barron Collier edges Lely for 6A-12 title
To hear Barron Collier High School softball coach Tom Resop tell it, the Cougars were more lucky than good in their district title game Thursday night. But because of that luck, Barron Collier has earned a district championship.
Tori Sutherland gave up only one run in a seven-inning complete-game win, and the Cougars scratched out a 2-1 victory over Lely in the District 6A-12 final at Barron Collier High.
The Cougars will host Mariner, the 6A-11 runner-up, Wednesday night in the region quarterfinals, while the Trojans will visit 6A-11 champion North Fort Myers, which beat Mariner 15-0.
“Our defense was terrible and on offense, we left too many runners on base,” Resop said. “But we did what we had to to win. Lely had a great game. They played to win tonight. But we’ve got to get tougher.”
The Cougars came up with single runs in the third and fourth innings, and Sutherland made it hold up by hurling five straight shutout innings after Lely scored on an error in the second frame.
“Tori pitched well us for. She didn’t have her best stuff, no, but she did well enough to win,” Resop said. “We’ve got to get focused from here on out. This time of year, there are no blowout games. They’re all tough, because everybody wants to win.”
Sarah Leon was the tough-luck loser for Lely.
“We are not too disappointed right now. We played our best game,” Lely coach Rich Costante said. “It was close at the end, and three seniors came up in our last at-bat with a chance to tie the game. The breaks just didn’t go our way.”
The Trojans had wholly improved since losing 11-0 to Barron Collier in five innings a few weeks ago.
“We always try to be aggressive on the base paths and in the field,” Costante said. “We did that tonight and made some mistakes. It is what it is, you know? We wanted to run hard and force Barron Collier to make plays. And they were able to do it. Things happen.”
Lely scored its only run in the top of the second.
But Barron Collier took advantage of a Trojans error to tie it in the bottom of the third when, with two out, Chloe Freischmidt reached on a two-base error and came home on a single by Megan Scoone.
Sutherland worked out of a jam in the top of the fourth when the Trojans loaded the bases, but then Sivan Palacios popped out to end the inning.
BC took the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Tanya Stohler singled, was lifted for courtesy runner Emily Herold, who went to second on Maddie Noble’s base hit, and to third when Aly Packish walked. Herold scored when Ashley Hayes singled to center.
That put the Cougars ahead 2-1. Lely avoided further damage by inducing a double play to end the fourth.
The Trojans missed out on a great chance to score in the fifth when Bianca Palacios singled to load the bases with one out, but then April Alvarado was caught in a rundown between third base and home and was tagged out.
Lely left five runners on base in the fourth and fifth innings, and in the sixth a Trojan was thrown out trying to stretch a single in the gap into a double.
