PREP SOFTBALL: Columbia gets at-large playoff berth; Branford, Fort White & Suwannee all hosting openers

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  • Columbia shortstop Lillyenne Mayhew gets caught in a rundown by Middleburg third baseman Madisyn Strickland in the sixth inning of Thursday's game. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)
    Columbia shortstop Lillyenne Mayhew gets caught in a rundown by Middleburg third baseman Madisyn Strickland in the sixth inning of Thursday's game. (MORGAN MCMULLEN/Lake City Reporter)
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Forced to wait four days to find out its playoff fate, Columbia breathed a sigh of relief when the FHSAA unveiled the brackets on Saturday.

The Tigers received the final playoff spot in Region 1-5A and will travel to top-seeded Middleburg for Thursday’s regional quarterfinal. It’s the second straight playoff berth for Columbia, which finished with a 9.848 rating that was nearly two points ahead of no. 9 Choctawhatchee (7.894).

Both teams lost to Gainesville, the region’s No. 4 seed, in the District 2 tournament this week. Columbia (13-11) and Middleburg (21-4, 18.474) met once this season, which Middleburg won 11-10 in comeback fashion.

The winner of that matchup gets either Gainesville (20-4, 14.456) or No. 5 seed Deltona (18-5, 12.592) in the regional semifinals. The other side of the bracket will see 2 seed Fort Walton Beach (17-10, 16.393) host 7 seed Fleming Island (19-7, 10.707) and 3 seed Gulf Breeze (14-9, 15.573) host 6 seed Matanzas (19-4, 10.775).

It’s a region that features five teams ranked in the top 10 in Class 5A, including Middleburg (first), Fort Walton Beach (second), Gulf Breeze (fourth), Gainesville (sixth) and Deltona (ninth).

2024 FHSAA Softball State Championships 5A FHSAA Softball

BRANFORD JUMPS FORT WHITE FOR 1 SEED

Branford’s win over Fort White in Thursday’s District 6-1A championship had major implications at the top of Region 3-1A. The Buccaneers finished with a 16.039 rating to jump the Indians (15.364) for the No. 1 seed, meaning they’d host the Indians should the teams meet for a fourth time this season in the regional finals.

The teams are ranked second and third overall in Class 1A and will both host regional semifinals on Thursday at 7 p.m. Branford will face 4 seed and District 5 champion Aucilla Christian (10-9, 3.902), in a rematch of last season’s regional final, while Fort White (12-5) will go up against 3 seed Madison County (16-10, 8.839).

Aucilla Christian upsetting Madison County in the District 5 title game knocked Lafayette out of the playoffs. The Hornets actually finished fourth with a 4.832 rating.

2024 FHSAA Softball State Championships 1A FHSAA Softball

SUWANNEE GETS A HOME GAME

The Region 1-3A bracket fell perfectly for Suwannee (16-10, 10.450 rating) following Thursday’s District 2 title, which was the program’s first since 2015. Despite being the No. 6 seed in the region, the Bulldogs will host 3 seed West Nassau (16-8, 15.479, ranked 10th in Class 3A), which didn’t win its district tournament.

In fact, the top three seeds in the region are all from District 4. Baldwin ((26-1, 19.777, ranked third in 3A) won the district and is the 1 seed, while Episcopal School (23-3, 18.853, ranked fifth in 3A) is the 2 seed. Suwannee benefits from the state rule that state district champions automatically host non-district champions in the first round of the playoffs regardless of seeding.

The winner of Suwannee-West Nassau will face the winner of Episcopal School and 7 seed Keystone Heights (12-12, 8.548). Palatka is the 8 seed and stole a playoff spot despite finishing 12th in the region by winning the District 4 title, which results in a road trip to Baldwin.

The Baldwin-Palatka winner gets the winner of 4 seed North Bay Haven (20-5, 14.585), the District 1 champion, and 5 seed Marianna (16-8, 12.249) next.

2024 FHSAA Softball State Championships 3A FHSAA Softball