SWFL Roundup: CSN girls lacrosse advances; Naples wins CCAC; District 1A-12 track; Tennis regionals

A roundup of baseball, softball, track, and lacrosse featuring Southwest Florida athletic programs from April 17-22:

FRIDAY

Girls Lacrosse

Community School 10, Naples 7

A girls lacrosse game that looked highly one-sided on paper was much more competitive on the field Friday night at Community School of Naples.

And in the second half, the Seahawks had enough offense to beat Naples – which had only four wins on the season – in a closely fought Class 1A-Region 3 quarterfinal.

CSN (14-2) moved on to the Class 1A-Region 3 semifinals Tuesday and a date with the Academy of the Holy Names, which beat Barron Collier 7-6.

“This was an extremely hard-fought game,” said CSN coach Brett Queener. “We were lucky to win. I was very impressed with Naples. We were able to execute in the second half, and got a few yellow cards, so that made a difference.”

With the score tied 7-7 early in the second half, the Golden Eagles were penalized for an accidental stick to the head, and also when their coach stepped a little outside the coach’s box.

For CSN, Hadley Tarrasch scored four goals. Emma Smith also had three. Tatum Kocaj also scored twice.

Georgia Kent scored three and Nyah Blume had two goals for Naples (4-9).

“As a coach, you can only ask that the players play hard and that they play for each other,” said Naples coach Jayson Saunders. “I’m so proud of the way we played here. We had some unfortunate circumstances that went against us. Our litmus test this year wasn’t a won-loss record. It was playing hard and for each other and we did that tonight.”

The Seahawks started off with a 3-0 lead after only four minutes of play, but the Golden Eagles would come back and keep it close throughout the first half.

After goals by Emma Smith, Kocaj and Tarrasch, CSN was ahead by three, but then Naples got on the scoreboard with a goal by Kent at 20:11. After a goal by Sienna Wyatt, it was a 4-3 CSN lead.

The Seahawks would get the lead to three again at 7-4, but then Kent scored with less than two minutes remaining before halftime to make it 7-5.

The Golden Eagles tied it early in the second half with the third goal by Kent and another score by Blume.

But then Ruby and Emma Smith and Kocaj all put it in the net to pull away for the win.

— Thomas P. Corwin

Saint Stephen's 21, Bishop Verot 0

Saint Stephen's (15-0) showed why it's ranked seventh in the state and 23rd nationally by MaxPreps and No. 1 in Class 3A in a regional quarterfinal against Bishop Verot.

The loss ended a tumultuous season for Bishop Verot (9-9). The Vikings went through a coaching change with three weeks remaining in the season, as co-coaches Justin O’Hara and Brian Ray took over.

Bishop Verot had a six-game winning streak followed by a six-game losing streak during the regular season.

In the district tournament under the new regime, Bishop Verot defeated Cape Coral and Canterbury to win the district title and compete in the regionals for the first time in eight seasons.

“They really stepped it up in the last 21 days,” Ray said. “They improved tremendously. They’re a whole different team. Tons of heart.”

It did not help Friday that junior midfielder Piper Kelleher, Bishop Verot’s top faceoff player, was injured and could not return. Nor the fact the team did not get off its first shot until late in the second half. Senior goalie Carley Gannon made five saves in the first half.

Losing six seniors and having the majority of the players returning, the Vikings look forward to better things to come.

“It’s sad we’re losing our six seniors. They played great,” Ray said. “Excellent foundation coming back.”

— Dennis Maffezzoli

Baseball

Naples 14, Gulf Coast 5

Notching their second largest scoring output of the season might be overlooked a short time from now, but it came at a very important time for the Naples baseball team.

The Golden Eagles, in a third date with Gulf Coast, exploded offensively in a 14-5 win over the Sharks for the CCAC Championship in a game that took three hours and 16 minutes. With the win, Naples swept the season series with Gulf Coast after winning the first two games, both 2-0 wins.

"We've been swinging the bats really good," Naples coach Jimmy Nocera said. "Since the second week of April, we've been swinging it well. Kudos to Gulf Coast though. I knew coming in, they're a better team than their record shows. They've played a very tough schedule. I respect them, they're a good team.

"The way we've been swinging it, as long as we threw strikes and attacked hitters, I felt like we'd be alright. (Reilly) Witmer came in and had a nice game tonight, and gave us the relief that we wanted. We had some really key hits, too."

Gulf Coast (6-14) chased Naples starter Nolan Bittner after 2 2/3 innings, as the right-hander had trouble getting through the Sharks' lineup a second time. The Golden Eagles would trail 4-2 as Michael Farina and Ryder Woodson started off a four-run inning that saw all nine Gulf Coast hitters record a plate appearance. Jack Griffith would give the Sharks a 3-2 lead on a single to center field before scoring on a passed ball two batters later.

In the top half of the fourth, Naples would bat around and plate six runs, which started with back-to-back walks from Brendan Murphy and Sevyn Williams. Georgia Tech commit Michael Graziano would plate Murphy on a sacrifice fly before Miami commit Johnny King sent a double down the left field line, giving Naples a lead they'd never relinquish the remainder of the night.

"The beginning of the season, we weren't hitting our best," King said. "We were hitting around .300, a little below, and now we're getting the bats hot at the right time before playoffs. We should be really good here down the stretch."

"(The fourth inning) really got the team going. We got down, came back, and battled back. It was a good team win."

Witmer would enter the game in the third inning for Bittner, and was the winning pitcher. The Florida signee went 3 1/3 innings, allowing three hits and one unearned run with one walk and eight strikeouts. Witmer's outing on Friday was an important one, as the flamethrower hasn't been himself on the mound compared to his sophomore and junior seasons.

With back-to-back solid showings against Riverdale and Gulf Coast over the last two Fridays, that will surely give Naples a good shot down the road at getting out of a loaded Class 5A-Region 3. Couple that in with Brendan Murphy (3 for 5, 2 R, RBI, BB) making his debut at the plate this season, and Naples could be returning to Hammond Stadium for a second straight season.

"That was Witmer being Witmer," Nocera said. "His pitch count is usually high in big games, and he makes the pitches when he has to. I wanted to take him out the inning before, and he said no, and that he felt fine. He found his breaking ball that last inning. We need him. We've got to have him in the playoffs.

"Murphy got in the lineup tonight for the first time all year, and he's been hitting really well in practice. I haven't given him any opportunities. Murphy's a really competitive kid on the mound, and I knew he'd be competitive at the plate. He had three hits tonight."

After the game, a player very familiar with Gulf Coast hoisted the CCAC trophy at home plate. Williams attended Gulf Coast for his first three years of high school before going to Naples for his senior year.

"I felt good for him," Nocera said. "He's coming back to his old high school. He was here for three years. I gave him the trophy, I said, 'This must feel good', and he had a big smile on his face. That's what it's all about. He really enjoyed it tonight."

Naples (16-5) will have a busy final week of the regular season, taking on Estero, North Fort Myers, and Venice. Gulf Coast has games against Estero, Archbishop McCarthy, and Island Coast coming on consecutive nights midweek.

— Alex Martin

Class 1A-District 12 Track

FBA pulled off the team title sweep Friday night at the Class 1A-District 12 Championships at ECS.

The Sentinels girls were favorites thanks in part to sprint star McKenzie Travis, but the path to an FBA victory opened when Travis suffered a hamstring strain after winning the 100.

Travis came into the meet with the second fastest times in the 100 and 200 in the state of Florida.  Coach Mack Mitchell shut Travis down for the night after she helped ECS win the 4x100 relay.

The Lions grabbed the opening with Travis sidelined.  It was truly a team effort as FBA scored only two individual titles with Katie Beam taking the 800 and Amarah Johnson winning the javelin.  The icing to FBA’s championship cake came when the girls took second in the 4x400 with a school record.

“We thought it would be very, very difficult to win the girls' side but the kids outperformed what we thought they would,” said Lions' head coach Ryan Mitchell.

Jumper Andrew Azunque led the Lions' effort on the boys' side taking the high jump and long jump along with a second-place finish in the triple jump.

The FBA boys also picked up critical points in the sprints including a win in the 4x100 relay.

St. John Neumann's Jose-Manuel Mejia Barbery was a double district champion in the 110 and 400 hurdles.

The standout performance from the meet came from Florida State-bound Ava Povich.  The ECS senior distance ace took the 1600 and 3200 after anchoring the Sentinels' 4x800 relay o victory.

Canterbury’s Joslyne De La Nuez was also a triple winner taking the 100 hurdles, 200, and long jump.

“We had a few athletes out today and when we get Travis healed up we’ll be ready for regionals,” said ECS head coach Mack Mitchell.

The district qualifiers will have their next competition at regionals on Saturday, May 6 at Community School in Naples.

Girls Team scores: 1. FBA 167, 2. ECS 156, 3. Canterbury 86, SFCA 86, 5. Village School 67, 6. St. John Neumann 63.5, 7. CSN 34.5, 8. Donahue Academy 18, 9. Seacrest  16

100: 1. McKenzie Travis, ECS 11.89 2. Alexa Bereczki, ECS 12.98 200: 1. Joslyne De La Nuez, Canterbury 26.60 2. Kharisma Watkins, ECS 27.12 400: 1. Alexa Bereczki, ECS 1:00.38 2. Julisa Roth, FBA 1:01.98 800: Katie Beam, FBA 2:26.732.  Kasey Johnson, ECS 2:27.04 1600: 1 Ava Povich, ECS 5:13.22 2. Gabriella Santucci, Canterbury 5:31.64 3200: 1. Ava Povich, ECS 10:58.95 2. Gabriella Santucci, Canterbury 12:07.07 100 Hurdles:  1. Joslyne De La Nuez, Canterbury 15.67 2. Aniston Newman, FBA 16.33 400 Hurdles: 1. Grace Goggins SFCA 1:10.24 2. Avery Erikson, FBA 1:12.36 4x100: 1. ECS 49.26 2. Canterbury 51.27 4x400: 1. SFCA 4:11.23 2. FBA 4:11.28 4x800: 1. ECS 10:13.29 2. Village School 10:18.70 High Jump: 1. Ava Martin-Gonzalez, St. John Neumann 1.52 2. Hailey Scheffler, St. John Neumann 1.47 Pole Vault: 1. Kate Johnson, ECS 2.30 2. Ariana Petrovic, St. John Neumann 2.15 Long Jump: 1. Joslyne De La Nuez, Canterbury 5.12 2. Mylee Van de Wouw, Village School  5.04 Triple Jump: 1. Claire Valentine ECS 10.70 2. Ava Melancon, FBA 10.57 Shot Put: 1. Carole Ann Hussey, Seacrest 10.16 Brooklyn Stuben, Village School  9.20 Discus: 1. Charis Cecil, SFCA 29.62 2. Brooklyn Stuben, Village School 29.08 Javelin: 1. Amarah Johnson, FBA 32.39 2. Kadence Clark SFCA 31.65

Boys Team scores: 1. FBA 171, 2. SFCA 145, 3. CSN 95, 4. St. John Neumann 83, 5. ECS 62, 6. Canterbury 52, 7. Donahue Academy 40, 8. Village School 20, 9. MIA 12, 10. Seacrest 7

100: 1. Jyden German, ECS 11.22 2. Azarian Leavette, Canterbury 11.45 200: 1. Jyden German, ECS 22.69, 2. Azarian Leavette, Canterbury 23.08 400: 1. Gavin Williams, ECS 52.17 2. David Johnson, SFCA 52.53 800: 1. Jack Gifford SFCA 2:04.37 2. Charlie Meagher, Canterbury 2:05.18 1600: 1. Leo Borjoun, Donahue Academy 4:36.69 2. Hayden Tank, SFCA 4:36.75 3200: 1. Hayden Tank SFCA 9:57.07 2. Tyler Mastrangelo, CSN 10:14.79 100 Hurdles: 1. Jose Manuel Mejia-Barbery, St. John Neumann 17.77 2. Jacob Watt, MIA 18.10 400 Hurdles: 1. Jose Manuel Mejia-Barbery, St. John Neumann 1:01.31 2. Noah Tafoya, SFCA 1:03.21 4x100: 1. FBA 43.78 2. CSN  44.18 4x400 1. SFCA 3:31.06 2. ECS 3:32.76 4x800: 1. SFCA 8:28.90 2. CSN 8:36.26 High Jump: 1. Andrew Azunque, FBA 1.87 2. Josh Paul, FBA 1.82 Pole Vault: 1. Benjamin Lysiack, St. John Neumann 3.35 2. Andrew Nuttle, St. John Neumann 2.60 Long Jump: 1. Andrew Azunque. FBA 6.70 2. Zacharie Fedelus, FBA 6.49 Triple Jump: 1. Zacharie Fedelus, FBA 13.01 2. Andrew Azunque, FBA 12.91 Shot Put: 1. Olsen Pat Henry, FBA 14.55 2. Jeremiah Edmon, ECS 14.04 Discus: 1. Jeremiah Edmond, ECS 43.13 2. Treaden Henry, CSN 40.27 Javelin: 1. Brody Jameyson, FBA 48.60 2. Alex Camarca, Canterbury 46.10

THURSDAY

Girls Tennis

Fort Myers 4, Barron Collier 2

It’s difficult enough to beat an evenly-matched team twice in a season, let alone twice in less than a week.

But that’s exactly what the Fort Myers High School girls tennis team did to earn a trip to the state tournament.

After beating Barron Collier on April 14 in a tiebreaker for the District 3A-12 championship, the Green Wave topped the Cougars again Thursday in the Region 6 championship.

“We made it to the big dance,” said Don Massey, in his third year as the Wave’s coach. “I’m so excited for the team to have this chance to go up there (to states).”

After wins from Elizabeth Kremenchuker, Lauren Sawczyn, and Isabelle Rose at No. 2, 4 and 5 singles, respectively, Fort Myers held a slim 3-2 advantage.

“The script was identical at districts,” Massey said. “It all came down to doubles. It couldn’t have played out better for us.”

Both doubles matches were in tiebreakers when the Green Wave’s No. 2 team of Madison Welsh and Alexandra Bocanegra won 10-7.

“They came up big for us,” Massey said. “It’s been a whirlwind week.”

That whirlwind continues when the team plays in the Class 3A state tournament beginning Monday at Sanlando Park in Altamonte Springs.

Singles: 1. Katie Ruci (BC) d. Gabriela Whitmer 6-0, 2-6, 10-3; 2. Elizabeth Kremenchuker (FM) d. Giulia Nelson 6-1, 6-4; 3. Madison Knoth (BC) d. Madison Welsh 6-0, 6-1; 4. Lauren Sawczyn (FM) d. MacKenzie Hilton 6-1, 6-4; 5. Isabelle Rose (FM) d. Jasmin Blitzer 6-4, 6-4.

Doubles: No. 1 Whitmer/Sawczyn (FM) vs. Ruci/Nelson (BC) did not finish; 2. Welsh/Alexandra Bocanegra (FM) d. Knoth/Hilton 10-7 in tiebreaker.

Estero 4, Lemon Bay 3

The Wildcats faced a tight contest with five of the seven matches going to tiebreakers, but Estero won four of those to punch their ticket to the state tournament next week.

At No. 1 Meghan Lay defeated Parker Zautcke 2-6, 6-2, 10-5, No. 2 singles' Gianella Salas Gechele defeated Rosey Lowder 1-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-8, Sydney Ramsey beat Mercedes Roesier 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 at fifth singles and the No. 2 doubles team of Kaye Mackie and Ramsey defeated Avery Shirley and Alaina Maday 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 for Estero's four wins.

The No. 1 doubles team of Lay and Salas Gechele dropped a close match at first doubles as all three sets went to tiebreakers 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 11-9. Kate Mackie and Sofia Passos dropped their matches at third and fourth singles, respectively.

Boys Tennis

Gulf Coast 4, Venice 3

With their regional final match tied at 3-3, determining which team would head to the state finals came down to the No. 1 singles match of the Sharks' Ivan Kisic and Venice's Charlie Siddon. Kisic left no doubt.

Gulf Coast's top player won 6-2, 6-3 to secure his team the Region 4A-4 title a trip to Seminole County for next week's state championships.

The other matches were: Singles - 2. Hudson Fry (GC) d. Joshua Lim 6-2, 6-3; 3. Seth Neitlich (V) d. Akhil Nimmagadda (GC) 6-2, 6-0; 4. Alex Mazza (GC) d. Aarvind Rajeev (V) 6-0, 7-6 (3); 5. Pranav Mayor (V) d. Paul Barnes (GC) 7-5, 6-2. Doubles: Siddons/Neitlich (V) d. Kisic/Fry (GC) 6-4, 6-4; 2. Nimmagadda/Mazza (GC) d. Lim/Evan Van Buskirk (V) 6-2, 6-3.

Class 3A-District 11 Track

The dominant track and field powers of Lee County waged an epic battle Thursday night at Dunbar High School with the Fort Myers girls taking the Class 3A-District 11 Championship while the Dunbar snatched the boys' title.

On the girls' side, Fort Myers used a distance double win by Masha Dorofeev in the 1,600 and 3200 and plus a double win by V’davrielle Johnson in the high jump and 400.  Johnson also added valuable points with a third in the 200.

“Our goal was to be district champs and we had girls stepping up doing multiple events even when they’re really tired,” said Fort Myers head coach Kelly Britton.

The Dunbar boys were looking up at Fort Myers when first Joshua Dorestin and Jaden White led the Tigers to a one-two finish in the 800.

Dunbar sprinters sealed the victory with a one, two, three finish from Tawaski Abrams, Chris Singleton and Eric Fletcher in the 200.

Abrams and Fletcher, both juniors, went one and three in the 100 with Singleton, just a sophomore, snagging fourth.

For the Dunbar boys, it was redemption after their second-place finish to Fort Myers at the LCAC championships.

“I knew going in that the boys would be in good shape after the 200, they were mad after the 4x100 and told me they would go one, two, three,” said Dunbar head coach Joe Addison.

Individual qualifiers move on to the Class 3A-Region 3 championship on Thursday, May 4 in Punta Gorda.

Girls Team: Fort Myers 171, 2. North Fort Myers 139.5, 3. Charlotte 132, 4. Dunbar 104, 5. Island Coast 35, 6. Ida Baker 34.5, 7. Port Charlotte 33, 8. Mariner 28, 9. Cape Coral 14

100: 1. Kayla Hopkins, Dunbar 12.06, 2. Destyni Devine NFM 12.34 200: 1. Hopkins, Dunbar 24.55, 2 Devine 25.65 NFM 400: 1. V’Davrielle Johnson, FM 1:00.35 2. Skyla Stevens, NFM 1:00.99 800: Alexis Neumann, NFM 2:31.89 2. Giana D’Altrui, FM 2:31.94 1600: 1 Masha Dorofeev, FM 5:27.72 2. Katrina Machado, Port Charlotte 5:35.34 3200: 1. Dorofeev, FM 11:54.86 2. Ava Taylor, Charlotte 12:19.11 100 Hurdles:  1 Kie’niyah James, Dunbar0 15.23 2. Joelle White, FM 16.18 400 Hurdles:  1. White FM 1:07.21 2. Adriana Iorfida, Charlotte 1:08.71 4x100: 1. NFM 49.34 2. Island Coast 51.23 4x400: 1. FM 4:08.36 2. NFM 4:18.38 4x800: 1. FM 10:13.81 2. NFM 10:21.84 High Jump: 1. Johnson, FM 1.57, 2 Chloe Johnson, Mariner 1.52 Pole Vault: 1. Leah Hunnius, Charlotte 3.15 2. Brooke Pocklington, FM 3.15 Long Jump: 1 Gianna Hutto, Charlotte 5.15 2. Devine NFM 5.00 Triple Jump :1. Iorfida, Charlotte 10.14 2. Sabre’E Watson Dunbar 10.12 Shot Put: 1. Ezarya Dale, Dunbar 12.09 2. Julia Lemmon, FM 11.55 Discus :1. Lemmon, FM 41.65, 2. Dale, Dunbar 38.56 Javelin: 1. Sydney Roots, Charlotte 32.30 2. Avery Brincat, Island Coast 31.70

Boys Team: Dunbar 172, 2. Fort Myers 159, 3. Charlotte 129.5, 4. North Fort Myers 60, 5. Ida Baker 57.5, 6. Cape Coral 41, 7. Island Coast 38, 8. Port Charlotte 24, 9. Mariner 17

100: 1. Tawaski Abrams, Dunbar 10.86 2. Aarontae Wesley, Charlotte 10.92 200: 1. Abrams, Dunbar  21.76 2. Chris Singleton, Dunbar 21.97 400: 1 Byron Fleming, NFM 51.28 2. Junior Pierre, Charlotte 52.20 800: 1. Joshua Dorestin, Dunbar 1:57.38 2. Jaden White, Dunbar 1:59.27 1600: 1. Joseph Koraya, FM 4:25.13 2. Timmy Schultz, FM 4:29.99 3200: 1. Declan Ziomek, CC 9:44.35 2. Junior Allard, FM 9:45.52 100 Hurdles: 1. Thiago Lopes, FM 14.60 2. Kobe Johnson, Dunbar 15.39 400 Hurdles: 1. Lopes 58.06 2. Christopher Singleton, Island Coast 59.11 4x100: 1. Charlotte 41.83 2. Dunbar 41.90 4x400: 1. Dunbar 4x400 3:28.20 2. FM 3:32.06 4x800: 1. FM 8:09.65 2. CC 8:10.66 High Jump 1. Kaiden Crossdale 1.97 2. Alex Thelusma, FM 1.92 Pole Vault: 1. Braden Flynn, FM 3.90 2. Cadan Frana, FM 3.75 Long Jump: 1. Brayan Augustine, Charlotte 7.02 2. Avant Harris, Charlotte 6.67 Triple Jump: 1. Jardarius Buchanan, Dunbar 13.45 2. Redjy Dorceli, NFM 13.33 Shot Put: 1. Casey Wood, Charlotte, 14.38 2. Charles Michel, FM 14.05 Discus: 1. Nathaniel Miller, NFM 42.08 2. Ashlee Bellvue, Dunbar 42.03 Javelin: 1. Ofil Ramos, Island Coast 46.82 2. Cael Newton, Charlotte 45.49

Boys Lacrosse

CSN 16, Canterbury 5

In John N. Allen Family Stadium, a family of Community School of Naples boys lacrosse players led the Seahawks to an important victory Thursday night.

Eight different players got into the scoring column as CSN registered a 16-5 win over Canterbury School in the Class 1A region quarterfinals.

It was the Seahawks’ third win of the year over the Cougars. CSN also beat the Cougars 16-3 on April 13 and 12-4 on March 14.

“The kids played well, and everyone from the seniors to eighth-graders to special positions contributed,” CSN coach Keith Lee said. “And in order to continue in the postseason, these people have to continue to play well.”

It was also the Seahawks’ 14th win in their last 16 games.

“Canterbury did some great scouting in order to stop us with their defense,” Lee said. “We were lucky that we got some goals in transition, and from odd-man positions. Once we settled down, the offense kept playing well.”

The Seahawks (15-3) will now meet either Cardinal Mooney or St. Stephen’s Episcopal in the region semifinals next Wednesday night.

“Community School is very good, and they are well-coached. We had to come out and do everything well, and we fell well short of it,” said Canterbury coach Trent Carter, whose team finished 9-9. “I’m proud that we played hard until the final whistle.”

Chase Atterbury and Ramsey Huggins led the CSN onslaught with five goals apiece.

Matthew Dunn scored twice for Canterbury.

“We had some young players come in later in the game and play well,” Carter said. “They will be a big part of the rebuilding process here.”

Baseball

Gateway 8, Mariner 7: Cameron Cisnero (2 runs) and Julian Cazanas drove in two runs each while Jacob Hardman and Anthony Grandstaff scored three times each. Mariner's Cole Sandifer had two hits and drove in two runs.

Softball

North Fort Myers 11, Estero 1: Mia Lane had four hits and drove in three runs for North. The Red Knights scored seven times in the fourth inning with RBI by Kaliyah Williams, Liliana Hertzog, Lane, Desirae Deine, and Azlynn Gomes.

WEDNESDAY

Boys Lacrosse

Bishop Verot 13, Calvary Christian 11: After trailing for most of the contest, the Vikings advanced to the Class 1A-Region 3 semifinal after rattling off two unanswered goals at the end of the fourth quarter.

Trey Toscano led the charge on offense, and finished the win with six goals and two assists. Dylan Feeney and Braydon Tooley had two goals and one assist each, while Josh Cosimar tallied two goals. Jacob Rodriguez had one goal and one assist, and Bobby Leckler and Todd Long added one assist each to the winning effort.

Leckler went 11-of-17 in faceoffs, while Jack Cronin and Mason Mangold combined for eight saves. Owen Rodriguez proved invaluable on defense after he kept Calvary Christian's top scorer, Giovanni Lubrano (49-30) without a goal in the comeback victory.

Gulf Coast 5, Newsome 3

Softball

Naples 11, Palmetto Ridge 1: Joslynn Baker had a double and a grand slam in the Golden Eagles' win, while Tara Watkins added a two-run homer to the winning effort. Mackenzie Leiti had a pair of doubles, and Makayka Harr had a two-RBI single.

Baseball

Naples 7, Barron Collier 6: Mike Metcalf put the Cougars up by one run with his two-run homer in the top of the seventh, but Mac O'Malley's double brought in the winning runs in the bottom of the seventh to secure a Golden Eagle victory. Tucker Hansen tallied three hits for Naples in the win, while Oliver Lee, Tucker Hansen, and Johnny King all added two hits each. Brendan Murphy got the start for the Golden Eagles and lasted five innings, allowing just one hit while fanning seven.

National Signing Day

Gateway’s Dylan Alif signed to play football at Mount Union on Wednesday, marking the first Eagle in any sport to ever sign a commitment to play at the collegiate level.

TUESDAY

Girls Lacrosse

Gulf Coast 13, Riverview 9

Gulf Coast braved a second-half rally from the Rams in the Class 2A regional semifinal behind a balanced offensive output and a strong defensive performance. The Sharks lost to Riverview 13-12 in an overtime slugfest last year, and have been eyeing the Rams ever since.

“We lost in overtime to them last year and we wanted to avenge that so badly,” said Kali Cleary. “I think tonight that we just proved a point that we were going to beat them. And it was just an amazing feeling to win and proceed in the playoffs.”

The first half was a back-and-forth battle, with both squads trading goals for the first ten minutes. At the 16-minute mark, Cleary scored two goals one minute apart to put the Sharks ahead 5-3.

Gulf Coast dominated possession in the first half, and drew shooting space fouls that set up easy looks at the net.

Reece Hudec put the Sharks on the board less than two minutes after the game started, and netted the first free-position goal of the game at the 17-minute mark. She finished the first half with a hat trick.

Cleary tallied three goals in the first half as well and added two key steals to a strong first-half effort that saw the Sharks end the half ahead 8-5. She ended the contest with five goals.

Gulf Coast held the Rams scoreless for 16 minutes as the Sharks extended their lead in the second half.

Peyton Davidson and Cleary combined for four unanswered goals in the first eight minutes of the second half that put Gulf Coast ahead 12-5. Davidson finished with five goals and two assists.

“In the second half, our transitions were absolutely amazing,” Cleary said. “We really weren’t selfish and shared the ball. We played as one team.”

The Rams came back to life at the 13th minute mark, led by Susan Lowther. The Rams went on to score four unanswered goals of their own, but the Shark defense held strong and preserved the lead.

Lowther, an Ohio State commit averaging just under six goals a game this year, was stifled in tonight’s matchup. Nolan Knacke made several timely defensive stands against Lowther as the Sharks held her to just three goals and one assist in the win.

“We were just really keying in on [Lowther] tonight,” said head coach Lynn Garrison. “But the defense really made some big-time saves in key situations. Knacke came up with a key save on Susan and just stuffed her. It was awesome.”

— Nick Wilson

Softball

Bishop Verot 2, Fort Myers 1

A game that was paused for nearly two months proved to be worth the wait.

Bishop Verot scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning after falling behind in the top half of the frame to beat its in-town rival in a game that was supposed to be the teams' season-opener but was postponed due to unsafe field conditions.

"We've been talking about all year, playing the tougher teams and things like that, it's only going to help us with a playoff run, and that's right now, and that's what we're basically trying to build," Bishop Verot coach Chris Gatewood said.

Runs would be at a premium as Bishop Verot Victoria Ash and Fort Myers' Julia Knowler battled in the circle, limiting solid contact, and when balls were hit both defenses played near flawless. Ash finished with 10 strikeouts, with her second of the game being the 500th of her career, and allowed only three hits and an unearned run. Knowler allowed only two hits with three strikeouts and a walk before the Vikings (18-3) broke through in the sixth.

Fort Myers (11-11) scored the game's first run in the top of the sixth. With runners on first and second and no outs, a fly ball to left field by Knowler that was misplayed scored Tegan Webb to give the Green Wave their first run. With two runners on and still no outs, the Greenies could not push across another run as a foul pop out on a bunt attempt and two Ash strikeouts ended the frame.

"I mean, they just made one more play than we did," Fort Myers coach Dan Mills said. "And we had opportunities to score more than just the one and we didn't, they had an opportunity to score more than one they did. And that's the difference."

With one out, Verot's Jaelyn Riley, who misplayed Knowler's fly ball, singled and stole second and she moved to third on a McKenna Robbins single. Sarah Yamrick drove Riley in with a single but Robbins was thrown out at home as Yamrick took second. Melanie Moreno followed with a single to drive in Yamrick with the winning run.

Ash closed the win, inducing a ground ball to second, a popup, and ended the game with a strikeout.

"I knew going into that bottom of that sixth inning that we were going to score those runs right there," Ash said. "I had complete confidence in my team, especially with the part of the order that we had coming up.

"We were so excited to be able to play them again just because it's especially personal for me and Coach Chris, you know, Coach Chris used to coach there, I used to play there (as a freshman) so being able to get our win because the past few years we've lost them, so being able to get our win, no better feeling right now."

— Ed Reed

North Fort Myers 6, LaBelle 5: Kendall Wylie allowed two hits and five runs, striking out nine for North. Abby Hynes and Mia Lane had two hits each.

Mariner 9, Bonita Springs 6: Cheyenne Waddell, Crimson Lawrence, and Mia Standard had two RBI each for the Tritons. Lawrence picked up the win, allowing two earned runs with 10 strikeouts.

St. John Neumann 7, Oasis 3: Sophia Escobar had 15 strikeouts while allowing two earned runs for the Celtics. LC Hanypsiak went 2-for-3 with a double and an inside-the-park home run with two RBI.

Baseball

Bonita Springs 13, Mariner 8: Donovan Hunt (3 runs) and Landon Ide (3 RBI, 2 runs) each had four hits while Angel Moreno pitched the game's final four innings, allowing only two runs for Bonita. Mariner's Kelan Jamison had two hits and four RBI.

SFCA 13, CSN 2: Eli Moore pitched 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs with two strikeouts. Dylan Plimpton went 2-for-2 with two RBI and Will Higby went 2-for-2 with two hit by pitches with an RBI, three runs and two stolen bases.

Estero 14, Lehigh 0: Brady O'Lone hit a triple and drove in four runs while Jacob Vail (2 runs) and Justin Breitenstein drove in two runs apiece for the Wildcats.

Boys Tennis

Naples 4, Cape Coral 0

1. Singles Michael Ritchey-Kline (N) def. Ty Lendino 6-0, 6-4; 2. Rey Pozsonyi (N) def. Franklin Lewandowski 6-0, 6-1; 3. Carlos Correa (N) def. Marco Guba 6-0, 6-1; 4. Spencer Carley (N) def. Eduardo Figueroa 6-0, 6-0; 5. Jack Tucker (N) was leading Homer Figueroa (CC) 6-4, 4-3 when match was called.

Naples advances to the regional final on Thursday at Barron Collier at 3 p.m. Cape Coral ends season 10-3.

Gulf Coast 5, Strawberry Crest 0

1. Ivan Kisic d. Jaden Thompson 7-5, 6-2; 2. Hudson Fry d, Darshan Ayyappan 6-2, 6-2; 3. Akhil Nimmagadda d. Aryan Adul-Khader 6-4, 6-4; 4. Alex Mazza d. Rushik Mangavalli 6-1, 6-3; 5. Paul Barrus d. Abhiram Gogenini 6-1, 6-1.

Hardee 5, Estero 1

1. John Brodeur (E) d. Aiden Thomas 6-4, 6-2; 2. Ryan Albritton d. Jaden Zavaa 6-2, 6-1; 3. Davis Roberts d. Evan Combs 3-6, 6-1, 10-1; 4. Wyatt Rowland d. John Harty 6-0, 6-1; 5. Brett Buzzard d. Nicky Snow 6-3, 2-6, 10-7; Doubles: Roberts/Rowland d. Combs Jacob Guillettte 6-1, 6-2.

Lemon Bay 4, Bonita Springs 0

Girls Tennis

Estero 5, Sarasota Booker 0

1. Meghan Lay d. Mia Dickey 6-1, 6-1; 2. Gianella Salas Gechele d. Lesa Snipes-Williams 7-5, 6-2; 3. Kate Mackie d. Juliana Famiglio 6-1, 6-0; 4. Sofia Passos d. Katrina Kinsey 6-1, 6-2; 5. Sydney Ramsey d. Abigail Kinsey 6-1; 6-1.

Lemon Bay 4, Bonita Springs 0

Naples Signing

Naples High celebrated four student-athletes signing their college letters of intent on Tuesday. Those who signed were Lucas Edwards, Wheaton College, Swimming; Jack Tucker, MIT, Diving; Lucy Froitzheim, University of Florida, Soccer; and Josh Similien, Goshen College, Basketball.

MONDAY

Baseball

Naples 10, Golden Gate 0: Michael Graziano belted his third home run in two games in the Golden Eagles shutout win. Graziano finished 3-for-3 with a triple, and a homer, while Johnny King added two hits. Oliver Lee lasted four innings in his first varsity start and allowed one hit while fanning six.

Bishop Verot 7, Bonita Springs 0: Aidan Knaak went the distance for the second straight game, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out 16 in the Vikings' win. Over his last two starts (14 innings), Knaak has allowed four hits and one walk with 27 strikeouts.

Softball

Riverdale 24, South Fort Myers 9: The Raiders scored 24 runs on 12 hits in their win over the Wolfpack, led by Madison Schmidt who went 2-for-2 with five runs and one RBI. Gabby Giugliano went 1-for-2 with four runs and two RBI. Jordan McKee homered for the Wolfpack in the loss, and finished 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.

Southwest Florida Christian 12, Everglades City 1 (5 inn.): Braelyn Davis slung a complete game for the King's, fanning nine and walking one while giving up no hits or runs. Kaley Fleischer went 4-for-4 with four RBI and three runs, while Aniston Hanson went 3-for-5 with a triple, one run, and one RBI.

Fort Myers 4, Ida Baker 2: Julia Knowler led the Green Wave to a win over the Bulldogs after giving up three hits and no runs while striking out four in three innings pitched. Knowler went 3-for-3 at the plate with two runs, while Kylee Vagle went 2-for-4 with three RBI.

Beach Volleyball

Fort Myers 3, Seacrest Country Day 2

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: High School Sports Report: Lacrosse, softball, baseball