Winter Springs wins softball district title vs. South Lake in rematch of former UCF teammates
Reigning FHSAA softball state champion Winter Springs is back at it again.
Senior Megan Hagge went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two runs scored Thursday night to help the Bears claim their 11th district championship since 1998 with a 4-2 win vs. visiting Groveland South Lake (21-4).
Junior pitcher Ashlyn Storms struck out five batters in the Class 6A District 4 tournament final to help Winter Springs (18-7) avenge a 2-1 loss to the Eagles on March 30.
South Lake led 1-0 in the third inning when Winter Springs answered with a run in the bottom half of the frame on a single to right field by Nicole Schricker. Lindsay Corazzini connected for a two-RBI single in the fifth inning to give the Bears all they’d need offensively.
Hagge, Schricker and Corazzini are among six players on roster this spring that were part of the Bears’ unbeaten 31-0 title team in 2019. Winter Springs was 8-1 last season before COVID-19 forced the cancelation of Florida high school sports.
“They’ve really taken it upon themselves to write their own story,” said first-year Winter Springs head coach Farrah (Sullivan) Gordon. “It’s been fun to watch them grow together this season. I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. I have to give all the credit to the girls and the amazing coaching staff I inherited.”
Gordon and second-year South Lake coach Kahley Novak were UCF softball teammates from 2012 to 2015. Gordon, a Mississippi native, spent the 2019 season as an assistant coach at East River and 2020 as an assistant at Winter Springs.
Novak played softball at East Ridge High School in Clermont.
“We’re still really good friends,” said Gordon, who is expecting the birth of a child in July. “That made it really fun. I knew we’d probably meet them [in the district tournament] and I told her afterward that maybe we’ll see her again.”
Winter Springs hosts Neptune Beach Fletcher (14-9) and South Lake travels to St. Johns Creekside (19-5) in regional quarterfinal outings on Thursday. Winners of those games meet in the semifinal round on May 11.
In Class 7A District 3, Lake Brantley (18-7) won a district championship for the first time with a 7-2 triumph over Oviedo (18-5) in a Seminole Athletic Conference matchup.
Madison Conway and Kaeli Zahradnik each had a double and one RBI for the Patriots. Gabby Sacco pitched a complete game and finished with nine strikeouts. Angelee Bueno had a home run for Oviedo.
Orlando Christian Prep (15-7) also celebrated its first championship Thursday night after winning 11-1 in five innings against Deltona Trinity (8-8) in Class 2A District 6.
Grace Thomas went 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored for the Warriors. Mia Rosario finished 2-for-4 and pitcher Aracelis Jimenez struck out five batters and allowed three hits.
District championships
Below are results from Thursday’s baseball and softball district championship games:
Softball
Class 7A District 3
No. 1 Lake Brantley 7, No. 2 Oviedo 2
Class 7A District 5
No. 1 Lake Nona 10, No. 3 Freedom 0
Class 7A District 9
No. 1 Clermont East Ridge 9, No. 3 West Orange 4
Class 7A District 10
No. 1 Osceola 16, No. 2 Davenport Ridge Community 6
Class 6A District 4
No. 1 Winter Springs 4, No. 2 Groveland South Lake 2
Class 5A District 4
No. 2 Deltona 5, No. 1 Palm Coast Matanzas 4
Class 2A District 5
No. 1 Mount Dora Christian 6, No. 3 Legacy Charter 2
Class 2A District 6
No. 1 Orlando Christian Prep 11, No. 3 Deltona Trinity 1
Baseball
Class 7A District 2
No. 4 Lake Mary 5, No. 2 Port Orange Spruce Creek 4
Class 7A District 4
No. 1 Lake Brantley 13, No. 3 West Orange 3
Class 6A District 4
No. 2 Winter Springs 7, No. 4 Lyman 4
Class 6A District 6
No. 1 Harmony 5, No. 2 St. Cloud 3
Class 5A District 4
No. 1 Ponte Vedra 5, No. 6 Deltona Pine Ridge 4
Class 5A District 5
No. 1 Lake Minneola 2, No. 2 Ocala Vanguard 1
Class 4A District 6
No. 1 Bishop Moore 13, No. 2 Eustis 0
Class 3A District 6
No. 1 The First Academy 15, No. 3 Trinity Prep 0
Class 2A District 4
No. 1 St. Augustine St. Joseph 9, No. 2 Deltona Trinity 1
Class 2A District 5
No. 1 Mount Dora Christian 13, No. 2 Real Life Christian 3
Class 2A District 6
No. 1 Orangewood Christian 5, No. 2 Geneva School 1
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.
