Pitching set the tone in Thursday night’s FHSAA Softball Class 5A-Region 2 Quarterfinal at Boulware Ballpark on the campus of Gainesville High School.
And in the end, it was the combined pitching efforts of senior McKenna O’Sullivan and sophomore Leanna Bourdage that helped lead No. 3 seed GHS to a 3-0 win against No. 6 seed Belleview.
“It’s always great to be in this part of the season,” said GHS coach Chris Chronister. “It’s very exciting. The girls are excited to be in the playoffs, so it’s always big. It’s just fun to play this time of the season. This was a very competitive game…it’s just exciting softball. It’s fun to be a part of a game like that.”
O’Sullivan and Bourdage combined on a two-hitter and were also factors at the plate.
“I really just didn’t want it to be my last game,” O’Sullivan said. “I’m not ready for it to be over.”
Bourdage had a pair of hits and scored a run, and O’Sullivan had a two-run double during a three-run fifth inning.
Belleview (16-10) got a leadoff single by Kiera Evans to start the game. It was just one of two hits given up by O’Sullivan.
The second hit was a leadoff single by Belleview first baseman Mackenzie Quartararo to start the fourth inning.
The next batter, Harper Foote, reached on a fielding error by GHS third baseman Lili Overstreet to put two on with no outs.
With Belleview threatening to break a scoreless tie, Chronister made the decision to bring in Bourdage.
“McKenna was pitching great,” Chronister said. “It wasn’t anything that she did to have her come out, but in that situation, we needed strikeouts and so that’s what you have to go for. Leanna came in and delivered exactly what we needed in that situation.”
Bourdage faced three batters and struck out all three.
“I’ve been in pressure situations before and I work better under pressure,” Bourdage said. “It makes me kind of lock in and get to work.”
GHS (16-7), which lost two starters (Madisyn Gillins and Roxanne Walsh) for the season due to injury last week, finally broke through in the fifth inning against Belleview pitcher Ya’Mari Reynolds.
Reynolds, who allowed no runs on four hits with no walks and three strikeouts through four innings, gave up a one-out single to center field by senior Olivia Lockerman to start the rally.
“Olivia has been playing great lately, and she really came through for us tonight,” Chronister said. “She had a good night at the plate, and she made some plays out in left field for us. She got us started in that inning, great base running. She was the spark that got the fire started.”
Senior Josie Kirwan followed with a bunt single to first base. However, Quartararo threw the ball away, allowing Lockerman to score on the play for a 1-0 lead.
Bourdage followed with a bunt single on the third base line, and she scored on a two-run double to center field by O’Sullivan for a 3-0 lead.
“That really was a huge at-bat,” Chronister said of O’Sullivan’s deep ball to center. “Did she have two strikes on her too? I think they had taken a timeout, and we talked, and I just said, ‘listen, we need a hard-hit ball into the outfield and even if they catch it, we’re getting another run and stay level, hit a line drive for us,’ and she did that. She really came through with a huge hit and gave us the insurance that we needed. I don’t like to be in a one-run game, so those extra two were huge.”
GHS caught a break when No. 2 seed Deltona got upset by No. 7 seed Springstead (Spring Hill), 1-0, in nine innings on Thursday.
That means the Hurricanes will get another home game at 7 p.m. on Tuesday against Springstead in the regional semifinals.
FHSAA softball state playoffs
(Teams in the Mainstreet coverage area in bold)
Thursday, May 8
Class Rural-Region 3 Semifinals
1 Madison County 4, 4 Union County (Lake Butler) 2
2 Branford 6, 3 Fort White 0
Class Rural-Region 4 Semifinals
1 Trenton 10, 4 Moore Haven 0
2 Williston 9, 3 Fort Meade 7
Class 5A-Region 2 Quarterfinals
3 Gainesville 3, 6 Belleview 0
