ALTAMONTE SPRINGS – As she stood off to the side of the field, Seminole head coach Aimee Stiffey shed a few tears but spoke of the positives as she reflected on the season.
“I’m so proud,” Stiffey said. “This was a tough year, and these girls pushed so hard . . . I truly love these kids so much.”
The Seminoles behind the pitching of senior Ava Matthews hung tough with Lake Brantley before the wheels came off in the bottom of the fifth inning as the Patriots downed the Noles 7-1 in the FHSAA Regional Quarterfinals on May 10.
The Noles found themselves battling to hold off the Patriots twice when the hosts loaded the bases with no outs in the first and fourth innings. Timely pitching by Matthews – including her 100th strikeout for the season, held the Patriots to two runs in the fourth and stymied their chances in the first.
“Ava is just a great kid, in the dugout and on the field,” Stiffey said of her senior pitcher. “She’s a leader and played through so much.”
In the bottom of the fifth, the Patriots would load the bases again, this time however a grand slam powered the hosts to a 5-run inning, eventually putting the game out of reach.
“We’re losing 2 good pitchers (Matthews and Allie Steffano),” Stiffey added. “But we’ve got a lot coming back – we’re young and I’m excited to see what those kids can do. “
Two of the returnees next year will be All-Conference second teamer Ava Hertz who led the team with 19 RBI, and freshman Maggie Long with her .400 batting average and 32 hits.
The Seminoles end the season 8-16.
