In a battle between a Pasco County power and a youth-filled team on the rise, the No. 6 Land O’ Lakes Gators upset the No. 2 Academy at the Lakes Wildcats 1-0 in a thriller.
Wildcats pitcher Alexis Kilfoyl and Gators ace Callie Turner did not disappoint. The two were locked in a scoreless duel until the bottom of the 7th inning.
After Land O’ Lakes rode the dominant arm of Turner’s complete-game shutout, the offense finally broke through. Tia Williams led off the bottom of the 7th with an infield single. She later advanced to 2nd on a groundout by Brianna Lindner. That led to 6A District 7 homerun leader Ashley Smith reaching first on an error to put runners on the corners. With just one out, looking to get the ball in play against the Wildcats' powerhouse Kilfoyl, the pressure was on freshman Brooke Stanley. Stanley made contact and Williams raced home to beat out Jessica Mott’s throw to the plate for the 1-0 win over Academy at the Lakes.
For Academy at the Lakes (16-2), Kilfoyl pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and one run with 11 strikeouts. Speedster Kendra Falby was 2-3 with two singles. 8th-grader Brooke Blankenship added a stolen base. The Wildcats were 0-3 with runners in scoring position.
For Land O’ Lakes (21-3), Callie Turner pitched the complete-game shutout, allowing only three hits with 17 strikeouts. Sophomore Shelby Westbrook went 2-3 with a single and a triple.
The Academy at the Lakes closes the regular season Thursday against Admiral Farragut. Land O’ Lakes will host Carrollwood Day on Thursday.
Clink the link for the video recap.