8A Regional Quarterfinal: Plant Panthers (15-12) at #1 Plant City Raiders (23-2)
When: Wednesday, April 20, 2016, 7:00 p.m.
Where: Plant City High School, 1 Raider Place, Plant City, FL 33563
TV: BHSN (Channel 47 and HD 1147)
Smartphone/Tablet: BHTV App
About the match-up:
Plant and Plant City meet for the second time this season. The two met on February 16 in a 9-inning thriller. Plant City won 5-4.The Raiders held a 4-0 lead in the the 6th inning when Plant senior Emily Rubin hit a game-tying grand slam.
Plant City enters the 2016 playoffs as the #1 team in our BHSN Bay Area softball poll. The Raiders won their second consecutive district championship by defeating Riverview in the 8A, District 6 title game. In 2015, the Raiders won the 7A, District 7 title. This marks the 13th playoff appearance for the Raiders. Plant City is led by a senior class that has never gotten past the regional semifinals.
The Raiders are led by their freshman phenom in the circle, Ashley Blessin, who carries a .98 ERA into the game. Blessin has been a key part of this team's success with a record of 17-1 entering Wednesday night's game. On offense, Plant City has balance up and down the line-up and the team is collectively hitting .315 this season.
The Plant Panthers come in after a season in which they did not win a district game during the regular season, but beat Sickles 10-0 in the district semifinals to earn a spot in the playoff. The Panthers had six 1-run losses during the season, something that head coach Melissa Sigmon knows has meant the difference between their current record and a possible 20-win regular season.
Plant has 10 seniors on the roster with seven of them in the starting lineup. The Panthers are led on offense by senior shortstop Kayla McGory, who is batting .473 with 5 home runs, 19 RBI, and 15 extra basehits.