The next round of the Extra Elite Eighty High School Softball Rankings is scheduled to be released on Friday and, after Wednesday’s action, could we have a new #1?
Perhaps… but we’ll have to see how a game tonight goes which matches the same two teams that battled last night!
There was a huge matchup Wednesday evening as the top two teams in Florida, national #1 Lakewood Ranch of Bradenton, faced off against #20 Lake Brantley of Altamonte Springs.
The result?
A blowout win, but perhaps not like one would have expected.
Lake Brantley (8-0) blanked Lakewood Ranch (9-1) in a non-league game by a score of 11-0 as junior catcher Kiley Strott hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the 6th to give the Patriots the convincing run-rule win at the Brantley South Softball Complex.
walked it off for the dub tonight but we’re back in action tomorrow night against Lakewood Ranch!!! @lakebrantleysb @thelabsoftball @molly_fichtner @leawodach pic.twitter.com/UZdkWF6oE6
— bristin bordeau (@bristinbordeau) March 23, 2022
The two teams will face off again Thursday night, this time with the game being played on the Mustangs’ home field.
Eight players for Lake Brantley had hits in the 14-hit attack—five of them getting multiple hits—including junior infielder Bristin Bordeau, a Louisiana-Monroe commit, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI’s including a two-run homer in the third inning.
we came to play today, beating the number one team in the state, Lakewood Ranch, 11-0!!! @lakebrantleysb @thelabsoftball @molly_fichtner @leawodach pic.twitter.com/8lU2Y9U0ij
— bristin bordeau (@bristinbordeau) March 24, 2022
Senior pitcher Hannah Marien, who has signed with Stetson, pitched the complete game shutout for the Patriots allowing only four hits while striking out six.
Freshman outfield leadoff hitter Jaden Griffin sparked the Patriots’ offense as she went 3-for-4 and scored twice while two senior outfielders headed to Rollins University, Kaeli Zahradnik and Madi Conway, each had big nights—Zahradnik going 2-for-4 with a triple and double and a pair of RBIs and Conway going 1-2 while also driving in two runs.
Lakewood Ranch started the 2022 high school season in the No. 1 position after last year’s team rolled to the Class 7A state title with a 14-4 mercy rule victory over Park Vista of Lake Worth, which had been on a 48-game winning streak.
The lone bright spot for the visiting Eagles was the night of senior outfielder Cassidy McLellan, a Florida signee, who went 3-for-3 and had two steals. McLellan was an Extra Inning Softball All-American last year after batting .542 with 59 runs scored for the state champions.
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball
Game one goes to the Patriots. 8-0 on the season and back in action tomorrow night! pic.twitter.com/loFO8dS7zp
— Lake Brantley Softball (@lakebrantleysb) March 24, 2022
