Mallory Baker didn’t call game when she hit a three-run home run in the opening inning of a Region 1-6A quarterfinal Thursday night, but make no mistake about it, that big hit allowed top-seeded and No. 1 ranked Pace to settle into a comfort zone against eighth-seeded Niceville.
Baker rounded the bases with a smile on her face and a bounce in her step before being greeted at home plate by her cheering teammates as the Patriots surged in front 3-0 and grabbed momentum they never let go of in an 11-0 mercy-rule win.
The Jay Royals aren’t done playing baseball just yet.
Down three runs out of the gate, the Royals rallied, forced extra innings and then went off for five runs in the fifth to secure a 9-6 win in nine innings Wednesday night.
Hard hits. Big plays. A little trash talk. The intensity level rarely trailing off.
You’d swear Pace was playing a game in the fall on a Friday night under the lights rather than running plays in a spring practice on a sunny afternoon in mid-May.
Jackson McKenzie had his bag on his back and was headed out of the dugout late Wednesday night.
A senior just beginning to feel the sting of his high school baseball career coming to a close, McKenzie
didn’t need to say anything. His look and his body language told the whole story. His words told a little more after a 10-4 loss to Winter Springs in a Region 1-6A quarterfinal.
Wynton Holmes started working with his current Northwest Florida Warriors AAU team when the players on it were in second grade.
Now a group of seventh graders, the Warriors continue to thrive and that’s exactly what Holmes loves to see.
Football has been a family affair for Milton’s Cam McAllister. He has a lot of relatives who played the game. It was only natural that the Panther standout played as well.
“Football pretty much runs in the family,” McAllister said. “My dad played and all of my uncles played football and my cousin just recently committed to the Texas Longhorns.”
It’s playoff time for four area teams.
Pace’s softball and baseball teams are both hoping to make a run at a 6A state championship while the Jay Royals are hoping to repeat as 1A state champs in softball. Jay’s baseball team is also in the tournament.
More than 10 minutes had passed since Jay’s softball team capped off a dominant District 1-1A tournament victory with a celebration that had no shortage of smiles.
Players stood on the infield dirt with family and friends, talking and taking pictures, unable to hide the joy of the moment on a Thursday evening in Bratt.
Tate was kicking dirt on Pace late Thursday night. The burial of the Patriots’ dreams of a third consecutive District 1-6A championship seemed to be nearing completion.
A 6-3 lead going into the bottom of the seventh, three outs from a title, it sure did appear as it if would be enough for the Aggies.
Jayden Heavener struck out the last three batters she faced in Wednesday’s District 1-6A softball final against Navarre. A mild celebration followed.
The Patriots smiled. They posed for photos. They high fived and hugged. They huddled up and raised the trophy into the air, savoring the thrill that comes with winning a championship.
