LONGWOOD — Columbia left fielder Addyson Sherman had been there before.
Runners on base, her team needing a hit. Only this time, the pressure was ratcheted up to the nth degree.
On the line was a berth in the state championship. It was then that coach Joe Saucier, as well as teammates Alannah Lord and Luisa Taylor, reminded her of that night against Branford back in March.
“They pulled me aside and were like, ‘you’ve done this before already this season,’” Sherman said. “’This is who we want up to bat. You’re our clutch player, just go up there and do your thing.’”
Just like that fateful night in March when she delivered a walk-off hit, Sherman was a hero for the Tigers again Thursday afternoon.
Sherman sent a pitch back up the middle for a walk-off RBI single to finish off a 6-5 rally for No. 1 Columbia against Seminole in the Class 4A state semifinals at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park. Players stormed the field to hug her after the Tigers scored three runs in the seventh inning to advance to Saturday’s championship against Lake Wales, which also rallied with a walk-off to beat Key West 6-5.
Sherman walks it off with a single. Tigers score 3 in the 7th to advance to the Class 4A championship. What a rally. They’ll face the winner of Lake Wales-Key West on Saturday.
— Jordan Kroeger (@ByJordanKroeger) May 21, 2026
Final: Columbia 6, Seminole 5 pic.twitter.com/OP6vEvykbq
It was an emotional finish for Sherman and her team, which won its 15th straight after being down to its final two outs.
“I’m speechless, shocked, grateful,” said Sherman, who is the nine-hole hitter. “I’m just so grateful. Going up in that position, I’m not going to lie, emotions were high and I was already feeling it in the dugout. And when I hit the ball, it just felt like all the stress lifted off my shoulders. I’m just so glad I was able to do that for my team and just get us to the championship.”
It encapsulated what Saucier said to his team after the game — “Tigers don’t lay down.”
“That’s a senior for you,” Saucier said. “She’s played at the highest level of travel ball out there. There’s no moment any bigger for any of these girls. When we went out for the bottom of the seventh, I reminded them of that night against Branford at our place. We were going to get our opportunity. We were going to play for the CHS on the front of the jersey and not the name or number on the back. Tigers don’t lay down. Tigers fight.”
But boy, was it difficult.
Seminole pitcher Scarlett Eames had the Tigers (28-3) on the ropes despite failing to record a single strikeout. But the freshman began to labor late in the game and Columbia finally broke her in the seventh.
Josie Raulerson started the rally with a one-out single as part of her 3-for-3 day, prompting Saucier to send in pinch runner Brooklynn White. That moved paid off because Emily Delgado then sent a rocket to center field that just failed to leave the park, but it was good enough for a double and deep enough to score the speedster White from first base to pull the Tigers within 5-4.
“I thought it was gone,” Saucier said of Delgado’s double. “Glad I subbed Brooklynn there. I’ll pat myself on the back there.”
Ryleigh Stone then hit a ground ball to Seminole shortstop Natalia Gipson, who tried to throw Delgado out at third but was late with the toss. With runners on the corners, Ava Christie knocked a pitch to right field to score Delgado and tie the game.
“I really didn’t want it to be my last game,” Christie said. “It was kind of overwhelming, but I was like, ‘I’m going to do this for me and all the other seniors.’”
Marlee Hunt followed Christie with another single to load the bases and set the stage for Sherman’s game-winner, which scored Stone. Prior to the seventh inning, Christie, Hunt and Sherman were a combined 1 for 9 at the bottom of the order against Eames, who was charged with all six runs — five earned — on 13 hits, a walk and a hit batter.
“We finally bought into the scouting report those last two innings and they executed,” Saucier said.
The Tigers began the day with momentum, taking a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a fielder’s choice by Delgado, which scored second baseman Anna Dansby following her single. CHS starting pitcher Kinley King also threw two scoreless innings to start, but two errors then bit the Tigers in the third and fourth.
That’s when Dansby sent a throw high to Christie at first base to allow Reese Elam to reach second to start the frame. The inning spiraled downward from there as Grace Rapson hit an RBI double and Gipson later delivered with an RBI single to give the Warhawks (19-9) a 2-1 lead.
That prompted Saucier to pull King for Stone, who also surrendered an RBI single to Kaydin Whitenton before getting out of the inning. King was charged all three runs — two earned — on three hits while striking out a pair.
Seminole extended its lead to 4-1 in the fourth on an error by Lord at shortstop, which allowed Elam to score after she walked and stole second.
“Pitching wasn’t as crisp as it’s been,” Saucier said. “I thought Kinley was good early and then they hit her a couple of times. But we should’ve been out of the inning without that error to start that inning. They wouldn’t have gotten two there.”
The Tigers managed to pull within 4-3 in the fifth thanks to a sac fly RBI by Delgado and an RBI single by Stone, but the Warhawks added a run back to their lead in the sixth on an RBI double by Gipson. Stone was able to strand a runner at second base in the frame, which proved to be pivotal in the end as she picked up the victory after allowing two runs — one earned — on four hits and five walks while striking out four.
Now, the Tigers will play for a state championship at 10 a.m. Saturday for the first time since winning their lone title in 2013.
“We’ve got to stay level,” Saucier said. “I think we were a little bit emotional coming in, all these people, they’re rooting for other teams, it’s hot, we hadn’t played in this heat…This wasn’t our normal routine, so I think to be able to get the win and come off, I think we’ll be a much better focused team come Saturday morning.”