The playoffs are starting up throughout the state of Florida for high school baseball and softball. Several teams between baseball and softball have qualified for the postseason from Hernando County and now the road to the state championships is underway. We take a closer look at each of the opening round matchups.
Baseball
Class 2A
Hernando Christian (12-9) at Santa Fe Catholic (17-10): The Lions were able to qualify for the Class 2A playoffs after a solid season and will face off against a tough Santa Fe team. Leading hitter for the Lions is Ethan Higgins batting .390 with 23 hits and 21 runs batted in.
Class 4A
Wauchula Hardee (21-5) at Hernando (18-8): In the last seven games for the Leopards, Hernando has gone 3-4 and has a 5-3 loss to Wauchula Hardee, whom they will face Wednesday night. Michael Savarese leads the Leopards with five home runs.
Parrish Community (18-10) at Nature Coast (16-8): The Sharks went 2-2 in their final four games, as they had losses to Sunlake and IMG Academy Silver and wins over Hudson and Tarpon Springs. Now Nature Coast will face off against a tough Parrish Community team that is led by Calvin Heath, who is batting .353 and 24 hits.
Softball
Class 3A
The Villages (15-11) at Hernando (21-4): The Leopards begin their quest towards trying to win a Class 3A state championship when they host The Villages. Hernando has had a terrific season, with it’s only four losses coming to Calvary Christian, Sickles and Orange City University.
Class 4A
Nature Coast (18-9) at Lakes Wales (17-7): The Sharks have been playing well towards the end of the season, winning seven out of the last eight games. The only loss came against a tough Wesley Chapel team and now Nature Coast will head over to face a Lake Wales team that has won four straight games.
Class 5A
River Ridge (14-11) at Springstead (19-6): The Eagles have had a very nice bounce-back season behind the pitching of freshman Ava Miller, who has an earned run average of 3.42 and a 15-6 record. They’ll face off against the Royal Knights, who have kinda went through a rebuilding year.
Andy Villamarzo can be reached at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @avillamarzo.
