While trying to keep up in the district with the likes of Timber Creek and Boone on the softball field, teams at Colonial and University are hoping to find some consistency as the final weeks of the regular season approach.
Both teams have had trouble scoring runs this year and it doesn’t look as if their schedules will make things any easier before postseason play begins. If they are to keep pace with the Wolves and Braves, however, both teams will likely need a near flawless run through Winter Park, where the district tournament takes place April 14-18.
COLONIAL GRENADIERS
At 8-5 overall and 4-1 in District 4 play, the Grenadiers entered Tuesday’s matchup at Timber Creek knowing that the week ahead will give a good indication of where they stand the rest of the way.
Following the lone district blemish on their schedule at the hands of Boone, in February, it seems as if every move made in the right direction has been countered by a few backward steps throughout the season. Among their five losses are three that came in an early-season tournament in Sarasota, where the team played three games in one day while juggling several changes in the lineup. The toll taken on the team that weekend now seems to be chalked up as a learning experience in hindsight.
“We have been playing good ball lately but still have some room for improvement,” CHS head coach Scott Howell said of a team hitting .269 with an on-base percentage of .418. “Right now our hitting is a little sporadic.
We just need to improve on getting the runners to score instead of just getting them on base.” Despite their trouble getting runners to cross home plate, Howell sees some improvement elsewhere. What stands out in his mind is the way errors in the field have been greatly reduced, nearly in half, compared to this time last season.
He can only hope that with each remaining game on the Grenadier schedule, his girls come out to play with a little more consistency. Last week CHS went on the road to play University and dropped a decisive 6-0 game after previously defeating the Cougars this season.
Ahead this week as they try to get back on track are home games against Lake Brantley (tonight, 7 p.m.), West Orange (Friday, 7 p.m.) and Ocoee (Tuesday, 6 p.m.) before going on to compete in the Spring Break Tournament in Ocoee March 28-29. On Monday night a make-up game against Winter Park will be played on the road.
“This will probably be our toughest week,” said Howell. Colonial will then be away from home to close out the season at Harmony (April 8) and Lake Brantley (April 11).
Coming through at the plate this season for the Grenadiers has been senior Callie Davis with a .383 batting average, .554 on-base percentage, 11 runs scored and 10 RBIs thus far. Freshman Madison “Maddy” Melle is hitting .367 with an on-base percentage of .518, 14 runs scored and five RBIs, while junior Elizabeth Beck has scored and drove home 12 runs apiece with a .348 batting average and .451 onbase percentage.
Junior Lisa Heitz, who has pitched nearly 75 percent of the innings this season, has struck out 54 batters, walked 29 and carries an ERA of 2.62 with a 6-5 record. Sophomore Ashlynn Scott, a transfer from Orlando Christian Prep with good speed and pitch potential, is currently 3-1 with an ERA of 2.50, 22 strikeouts and 14 walks.
UNIVERSITY COUGARS
It’s been an up-and-down season so far at University High School as a foundation for the future is being put into place thanks to four freshmen and four sophomores contributing to the varsity squad. Included in that group are three sophomore pitchers — Myraida Figueroa, Conner Crawford and Courtney Hill — who each have started multiple games and are often used together throughout the course of any given game.
They’ve been playing alongside just three juniors and a senior this year for head coach Mike Eastman, who’s in his second year with the Cougars after serving as an assistant at Winter Park. He said team speed has been a strength this season, but too many mistakes by the youthful squad have continued to keep them in the middle of the pack.
“There have been inconsistencies across the board,” he said of the 7-6 team. “We miss a lot of opportunities to score runs and when we’re ahead in games we let teams nickel and dime us before eventually losing them.”
At 2-2 in the district, not including Tuesday’s game against Boone, the Cougars still have road games upcoming against Freedom (March 27) and Cypress Creek (April 9) that will help determine seeding in the postseason. Tonight University plays its final home game of the season at 4:30 p.m. against Wekiva before six road games close out their schedule.
Included in that slate are Deltona (Tuesday), Lake Brantley (Wednesday), Olympia (April 8) and Ocoee (April 10). This should prove to be a test for such a young team, which returned only five of its 12 starters from a year ago.
Among the statistical standouts this year have been freshman Xio Perez (.366 batting average, .479 on-base percentage, 11 runs, 9 RBIs), sophomore Stefani Bonilla (.378 batting average, .477 on-base percentage), sophomore Courtney Hill (.366 batting average, .440 on-base percentage) and freshman Chrissy Melcher (.347 batting average, .387 on-base percentage).
An advantage of the Cougars down the stretch should be the return of junior centerfielder Aimee Halpin, who missed the first few weeks of the season due to foot surgery and seems to be back in top form, according to Eastman.
Despite a sub-.300 batting average, the leadoff hitter has had little trouble reaching base ever since she’s returned. And that may have to continue if the Cougars are going to keep up with the rest of the pack.
