Tampa Bay Softball Game Balls & Dinger Tracker - 3/2/24

Hernando P Ava Braswell.

Week 2 has finished around the Tampa Bay area, and we're wrapping up our coverage of the week's events by catching you up on what happened on Saturday.

It's the final Saturday for a while without a major tournament, but there were still a few teams in action across the area - Calvary and East Lake finished up in Montverde, while Lake Gibson finished up in Alachua at the Santa Fe Invite. Palm Harbor University and Hernando each took a game in Round Robins at Lakeland and Trinity Catholic (Ocala), respectively.

Game Balls:

Lily Harwell, So., Lake Gibson – Harwell and the Braves gave it their all to try and finish the weekend at the Santa Fe Raider Invitational with a win, but unfortunately, fell to Union County (Lake Butler), 6-5, in extras. Harwell went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI to lead her side.

Emily Boylan, Sr., Palm Harbor University – Boylan drove in seven for the Hurricanes in their 15-0 triumph over Lakeland. Both of her hits went for extra bases and she scored three times in the win.

Raina Fitzpatrick, 7th, Canterbury – At the Coach K Bayly Memorial Tournament, Fitzpatrick helped the Crusaders earn their second win of the season, an 18-1 run-rule win over Indian Rocks Christian. She went 2-for-3 with a triple, a run scored and three RBI.

Ava Braswell, Sr., Hernando – The Lady Leopards needed a spark and the Stetson signee gave it to them with a 17-strikeout complete game at Trinity Catholic (Ocala). She added a 3-for-4 outing at the plate, driving in three of Hernando’s runs in the 7-2 triumph.

Dinger Tracker:

Brayden Seymour, Lake Gibson (1)

Emily Boylan, Palm Harbor University (1)

Monday’s Games to Watch:

Mitchell (3-0) at Palm Harbor University (3-1): This feels like the best game on the slate and will be Mitchell’s toughest test so far after winning its first three games by a combined score of 50-2. PHU has had a similar start to the season, outscoring opponents 49-6 to start the year, but fell in its final game of Week 2 to Harmony.

Sumner (4-0) at Parrish Community (2-0): The Stingrays continue to impress after grabbing a win over Plant last week. Now, they travel to the defending Class 5A State Champions, who are continuing to find themselves after graduating their first full senior class in program history.

Wesley Chapel (1-4) at Cypress Creek (0-4): A budding rivalry continues to progress between these two teams – and it comes as Wildcats head coach Ashley Nickisher faces her alma mater for the first time. Both of these teams are better than their records indicate, and Monday serves as a good opportunity to get some momentum rolling in March.

George Jenkins (5-0) at Mulberry (3-0): This is an important stretch for George Jenkins, which is off to a 5-0 start for the first time since 2013. The Eagles start Week 3 with a scrappy Mulberry team that’s outscored opponents 44-4 to start the year at 3-0 for the first time since 2012.