High School Softball: Previews of regional matchups beginning Wednesday

After almost three months of play on the field, only six Pensacola-area softball teams are still alive.

With the regional baseball postseason beginning on Tuesday, the softball state playoffs get underway on Wednesday. Jay, Gulf Breeze, Milton, Northview, Pace and West Florida each remain in the hunt for a magically ride down to Clermont.

Of the local contingent, four programs will host games while two others start regionals on the road. West Florida has its regional quarterfinal on Wednesday. The five other teams open play on Thursday.

High School Baseball: Previews of regional matchups beginning Tuesday

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Before the first pitch is thrown to begin the state playoffs, here's a preview of the next two days.

Region 1-6A quarterfinal

No. 8 Lake Howell vs. No. 1 Pace

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

Where: Pace High School

Records: Lake Howell - 14-12; Pace - 22-4

Ranking: Lake Howell (11.569) - 20th in Class 6A, 83rd overall; Pace (17.836) - sixth in Class 6A, 20th overall

Last meeting: N/A

Players to watch: Lake Howell - Chloe Rayner (P/Sr.), Mia Terito (Sr.), Rhianna Hudson (P/1B, Fr.), Julianna Terito (C/INF, Fr.); Pace - Jayden Heavener (P/1B, So.), Shelby McKenzie (3B/P, So.), Riley Forbes (OF/INF, Jr.), Cara Willis (OF, Sr.)

Note: Pace is the area's best hitting squad with a team batting average of .353. Led by Shelby McKenzie (.506, 8 HR, 11 2B, 31 RBIs), the Patriots have gotten a number contributions for several players. Jayden Heavener (.400, 5 HR, 26 RBIs), Riley Forbes (.357, 2 HR, 27 RBI) and Cara Willis (.405, 16 RBIs) have also chipped in at the plate.

With that said, Pace's biggest strength begins and ends with the Heavener's left arm. The sophomore pitcher has put up astonishing performances on a regular basis. Most recently, Heavener notched her eighth no-hitter of the season during the team's 1-0 victory over Niceville in the District 1-6A title game.

The sophomore in the circle likely spells bad news for their regional-quarterfinal opponent. With just two regulars hitting over .300, the Silver Hawks bat .248 as a team.

Region 1-5A quarterfinals

No. 5 Ridgeview vs. No. 4 Gulf Breeze

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

Where: Gulf Breeze High School

Records: Ridgeview - 14-6; Gulf Breeze - 15-11

Ranking: Ridgeview (13.038) - sixth in Class 5A, 65th overall; Gulf Breeze (6.205) - 23rd in Class 5A, 172nd overall

Last meeting: N/A

Players to watch: Ridgeview - Lily Bennett (P, Fr.), Mary Girgis (Jr.), Hannah Crosby (So.), Natalie Foret (OF, Sr.); Gulf Breeze - Kaylee King (3B/SS, Jr.), Olivia Ammon (OF/P, Sr.), Kenna King (OF, So.), Lelia Ammon (P/OF, So.)

Note: Dolphins head coach Chelsea McGehee has often talked about how her team's offense needs to step up and take pressure off the pitchers and defense. Her team did just that during the District 1-5A title game, scoring five early runs en route to a 6-2 win against Milton.

Early runs may be hard to come by against a team that's a decided favorite.

Coming off a 1-0 loss in the District 3-5A title game to Middleburg, Ridgeview has a team ERA of 1.72 and an opponents batting average of .190. The Panthers from the Jacksonville area are led in the circle by Lily Bennett. The freshman has appeared in every game, going 13-4 with a 1.69 ERA and 111 strikeouts.

No. 6 Milton vs. No. 3 Gainesville

When: 7 p.m. (EST) Thursday

Where: Gainesville High School

Records: Milton - 12-8; Gainesville - 12-13

Ranking: Milton (7.257) - 18th in Class 5A, 153rd overall; Gainesville (6.458) - 21st in Class 5A, 166th overall

Last meeting: N/A

Players to watch: Milton - Audrey Luedtke (C, Jr.), Hallie Ueberroth (3B, So.), Laila Manning (SS, Jr.), Kamille Lucas (P/OF, Jr.); Gainesville - Parris Wiggs (Sr.), Jayla Clark (Sr.), Kyra Hornsby (Sr.), Braylin Cook (Fr.)

Note: The Panthers have the longest road trip of all area teams, but face an opponent that has a losing record. Gainesville entered the District 4-5A tournament with a 10-13 mark, but the team captured wins against Belleview and Ocala Vanguard to earn a home game as the No. 3 seed.

This matchup is tailormade for Milton's bats, as the Hurricanes have struggled to quiet opposing batters. With opponents hitting .335, Gainesville has a team ERA of 4.12, which ranks last among the eight teams in this region.

Audrey Luedtke (.478, 5 HR, 13 2B, 33 RBIs) and Hallie Ueberroth (.409, 5 HR, 22 RBIs) are the two players who have done the most damage at the plate for the Panthers. Look for them to do even more.

Region 1-4A quarterfinal

No. 7 Bishop Kenny vs. No. 2 West Florida

When: 6 p.m. Wednesday

Where: West Florida High School

Records: Bishop Kenny - 15-9; West Florida - 14-10

Ranking: Bishop Kenny (7.313) - 21st in Class 4A, 151st overall; West Florida (8.630) - 17th in Class 4A, 130th overall

Last meeting: N/A

Players to watch: Bishop Kenny - Caroline Orum (Sr.), Alleana De Leon (Sr.), Kaitlyn Gilmore (So.), Abigail Satkoff (Fr.); West Florida - Sydney Scapin (P, So.), Madelynn Laubach (So.), Brea Holley (So.), Jae Jemmott (OF, Sr.)

Note: Sydney Scapin has done it all for the Jaguars this season. The sophomore is the team's leading hitter (.352), but her biggest impact comes from the circle. Scapin is among the area leaders in ERA (1.13), strikeouts (234) and opponent's batting average (.106).

But if West Florida hopes to advance, its ace has to get help from others. Jacksonville Bishop Kenny doesn't have a pitcher to match Scapin's excellence, but the Crusaders have shown more of an ability to bust out, offensively.

Bishop Kenny has scored seven or more runs in 12 games this season while the Jaguars have only done that six times. In a game where runs may be at a premium, the team that can string together baserunners and hits at any point will be the difference.

Region 1-1A semifinals

No. 4 Northview vs. No. 1 Jay

When: 6 p.m. Thursday

Where: Jay High School

Records: Northview - 13-12; Jay - 18-5

Ranking: Northview (5.792) - 18th in Class 1A, 185th overall; Jay (15.820) - first in Class 1A, 36th overall

Last meeting: May 5, 2022 - Jay 5, Northview 4

Players to watch: Northview - Emma Gilmore (Jr.), Payton Gilchrist (Sr.), Kailyn Watson (Sr.), Kayla Dixon (Sr.); Jay - Alayna Lowery (3B/P, Sr.), Ella Nelson (SS, So.), Caitlyn Gavin (2B, Jr.), Mattie Cochran (P/1B, Sr.)

Note: The Royals have far and away been the area's best team since early April. They have won their last 14 games, eight of which via shutout.

But as the Chiefs nearly proved last week, the momentum that the top seed has may not matter in a one-game playoff. Northview not only snapped Jay's 46-inning scoreless streak, but the Chiefs nearly upset the Royals in the District 1-1A title game.

Jay needed a jaw-dropping, over-the-shoulder catch from sophomore outfielder Brett Watson in the top of the seventh inning to hold off Northview 5-4.

With the two teams on Thursday back at Jay High School, the question is can Northview muster another challenge or will the Royals, the top-ranked team in Class 1A, get back to their dominant form?

Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for the Pensacola News Journal. He can be reached at (850) 503-3828, on Twitter @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Softball preview: Six PNJ-area teams ready for regional playoffs