CLERMONT Graduation Day turned into championship day for American Heritage-Delray.
The Stallions (22-9), who opened the season by losing six of their first seven games, showed Saturday that how you start isn’t as important as how you finish, defeating Winter Park Trinity Prep (26-6) 1-0 in the FHSAA Class 2A state softball title game at the National Training Center.
Whitney Farris, who had American Heritage’s game-winning hit in Friday’s 4-3 semifinal over Sneads, delivered the game-winning hit again, a single to left to score Marissa Mangini, who had doubled with one out in the sixth.
“I was thinking, ‘I did it again!’ ” Farris said when she saw the ball get through the infield.
- Trinity Prep’s Taylor Bassett tags out American Heritage-Delray’s Chelsea Brandt during the Saints’ 1-0 loss in the Class 2A state softball final Saturday in Clermont. (Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel)
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“I can’t explain how excited I was when I saw the ball get over the third baseman’s glove. I felt like it could be the game-winning run,” said Mangini.
Another standout performance was delivered by senior pitcher Chelsea Brandt. She limited Trinity Prep to just two hits after the Saints had 15 hits and won their semifinal 16-0 over Community School of Naples.
“I really didn’t expect two 1-0 games,” American Heritage coach Kevin Drake said. “I think that is the ninth and 10th shutouts Chelsea has thrown this year.”
Brandt, and the Stallions two other seniors Claire Dunlap and Alex Dishman left immediately after the game to get back in time for graduation ceremonies Saturday night.
About the only thing that slowed the game occurred early in the sixth inning with Mangini at the plate when a spectator was hit in the head with a folding chair.
The game was delayed for about 45 minutes while he was treated and transported by ambulance to the hospital.
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