Bulldogs tame Tigers in softball regional playoffs

St. Cloud gets another home game in Tuesday's 7A Region 3 semifinals

  • Lacey Scott legs out an infield single for one of her three hits in St. Cloud's 8-3 regional playoff win Thursday against Tohopekaliga. (Photo/Taylor McFee)
    Lacey Scott legs out an infield single for one of her three hits in St. Cloud's 8-3 regional playoff win Thursday against Tohopekaliga. (Photo/Taylor McFee)

    St. Cloud will continue carrying the flag for Osceola County in the Class 7A regional softball playoffs after an 8-3 win over in-county rival Tohopekaliga.

    Meanwhile, Harmony fell, 6-2 in another Region 2 quarterfinal at Orlando Boone.

    After falling behind early, the Bulldogs (18-10) settled in behind senior pitcher Addison Felblinger and used timely hitting — highlighted by three hits apiece by Lacey Scott and Maddie Reyes and a pair of two-RBI hits by freshman catcher Zhyra De La Cruz.

    Tohopekaliga (11-6) struck first, taking a 2-0 lead when Anaya Josue connected on a solo home run and Jaslyn Rodriguez came around to score from first base following a St. Cloud fielding error.

    St. Cloud answered in the bottom of the third when De La Cruz delivered a two-run double to even the score and swing the momentum. De La Cruz followed with another key hit — a two-run single in the fourth — stretching the advantage to 5–2.

    While the Bulldogs were piling up 14 hits, Felblinger tallied 11 strikeouts in a three-hitter. 

    To top it off, St. Cloud, the No. 3 regional seed, will get an unlikely home game in Tuesday's regional semifinal against No. 7 Port St. Lucie Centennial, who beat No. 2 Wellington, 5-3 on Thursday.

    Harmony (11-13) got a two-run homer from Emerson Aslan, her sixth of the year, but it wasn't enough to overcome an 18-8 Braves team that will face No. 1 regional seed Jupiter on Tuesday.

    The Longhorns put a pair of runners on base in the first, third and fourth innings but couldn't scratch out a two-out hit to put runs on the board. Trailing 4-0, Noel Stephenson, who had three hits, singled, then Aslan crushed a 1-0 pitch over the left-field fence. She also hit one hard to the warning track in the first inning and doubled off the right field fence in the seventh.

    "I was never upset with anything we did tonight, we really did our best," said Aslan, one of three seniors and who will head to Boca Raton to play at Florida Atlantic in the fall. "This was the best team I played on."

    Pitcher Elisa Staley struck out eight in the circle, and picked up two hits at the plate.

    "I'm just so proud of this young team this year," HHS Coach Kristi Mindrup said.