Special to the Recorder
The Ponte Vedra softball team started the week with a heartbreaking loss to district rival Clay, then rebounded with a win against another district foe, Ridgeview. Their week continued as they went on the road to Alachua for the Raider Invitational Tournament, which proved to be a positive experience for the Sharks as they picked up three wins and lost just one.
Ponte Vedra’s game against Clay was a pitcher’s duel between the Sharks’ Michelle Holder and the Devils’ Morgan Crutcher, with the Sharks coming out on the losing end of the 2-1 score. The game was decided in the fifth inning, when Ponte Vedra made two critical errors to allow two unearned runs.
Still, the Sharks nearly tied matters in the seventh inning. Quinlan Richmond started the inning with a walk, then moved up on a Farley Callaghan infield single. Taylor Bradshaw’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners over and Bailey Wagoner drove in Richmond with an infield single, putting Callaghan on third with the tying run. The Devil right fielder made a fine over-the-head running catch of Holder’s hard line drive to end the inning and the game.
Ponte Vedra recovered the following night with an impressive 11-0 win against Ridgeview. Holder pitched a strong game, allowing just one hit. Callaghan, Bradshaw and Audrey Matt were the top run producers for the Sharks, with two RBIs each. Richmond, Callaghan, Wagoner and Olivia Bruch each collected two hits for Ponte Vedra.
In the Raider International Tournament, the Sharks beat Suwannee 6-4. Scotland David led Ponte Vedra with four hits, while Wagoner added three RBIs. Callaghan made the defensive play of the game turning a fly ball out into a double play.
The Sharks hit a bump in the road against Santa Fe, losing 11-3, then bounced back with an incredible come-from-behind, extra-inning win against Lafayette. Ponte Vedra fell behind 7-0 in the first inning, but they chipped away at the seven-run deficit, scoring two in the third, three in the sixth and four in the seventh to tie the game 7-7. The decisive eighth inning started with a single by Richmond and a walk to Callaghan. Bradshaw’s bunt moved the runners up and they both scored on a critical Lafayette error.
Newberry was the Sharks’ final victim in the tournament, losing to Ponte Vedra 15-0. Holder pitched a two-hit shutout and Michelle Leone and Scotland David each had three hits for the Sharks.