Tampa Bay Softball Game Balls & Dinger Tracker - 2/28/24

The midway point of Week 2 saw a nine-game slate across the Tampa Bay area.

Pinellas saw the most action with East Lake, Clearwater, St. Petersburg and Admiral Farragut all picking up wins, while Lakewood Ranch earned its first victory with a win over Braden River.

Here's our Game Balls and Dinger Tracker for Wednesday!

Game Balls:

Julianna Carter, So., Gulf – Needed just 61 pitches to get through five innings of relief with just two walks being in the only blemish on her pitching line. A 2-for-3 outing with an RBI and a run scored helped Gulf erase a three-run deficit to top Bishop McLaughlin, 4-3.

Morgan Maske, So., Clearwater – Struck out 12 in the Tornadoes’ 9-5 win over Seminole that saw them improve to 5-1 on the early-going. Maske connected on her first home run of the season, a three-run shot in the fourth that was a part of a seven-run inning.

Tegan Grizzard, Sr. 3B, St. Petersburg – A two-out, bases clearing triple from the senior in the second turned a one-run deficit into a four-run deficit that the Green Devils ran with and never surrendered at Cypress Creek. She was also responsible for a double in the fourth that continued a two-out rally.

Karsyn Waechter, 8th, Admiral Farragut – Went 3-for-4 with a triple, four RBI and three runs scored to help the Blue Jackets earn a run-rule win. Admiral Farragut scored in each of their first four turns at bat to down St. Petersburg Catholic, 14-3, improving to 3-0.

Dinger Tracker:

Jada Phillips, Braden River (3)

Morgan Maske, Clearwater (1)

Karhys Pierce, East Lake (1)

Janie Badu, Fivay (1)

Aspen Burke, Seminole (1)

Thursday's Games to Watch:

Riverview (Sarasota) (5-0) at Manatee (3-0): Two weeks ago, this game appeared to be just another on the schedule. But these teams are exactly why we play the games. Two of the South Suncoast's hottest teams go head-to-head in a game with a lot of weight on it. Riverview's allowed just four runs in five games, thanks to the stellar pitching of Allison Cole. Meanwhile, Manatee's averaged 12 runs per game in its first three.

Plant (3-0) at Sumner (3-0): The Stingrays, who started as the preseason No. 8 team in Hillsborough County, have an opportunity to pick off the top-ranked Panthers. Sumner already holds an upset win over Steinbrenner, and if they pull off another, the term 'upset' begins to turn a bit. On the other side, Plant's Cassidy Masters brings in a 14-inning shutout streak and has allowed just three hits in that span.

River Ridge (3-0) at Sunlake (3-1): Pitchers beware in this one. Sunlake's scored 16-plus runs in three of its first four, and River Ridge has built a +44 run differential, partially because they haven't given up a run yet. This appears to be the biggest test for the Royal Knights' young pitching staff.

Lake Region (1-2) at Auburndale (2-1): Auburndale finishes a back-to-back with another tough test in a Thunder team that couldn't have scheduled tougher in their first three games. Expect runs to be at a premium - each team took a 1-0 decision at their home ballpark in last year's regular season series.