Teams will meet again in Region 3-1A semifinals
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Fort White celebrates with the District 6-1A championship trophy after defeating Branford 7-0 on Thursday night. (PAUL BUCHANAN/Special to the Reporter)
BRANFORD — Two losses to Branford in the regular season didn’t psyche out Fort White.
According to pitcher Kadence Compton, the Indians entered Round 3 calmer. If anything, the Buccaneers looked like the team under pressure, pressing far too often and making far too many mistakes.
Fort White took advantage of five errors and put together timely hits to roll to a 7-0 road win over top-seed Branford to win a second straight District 6-1A title on Thursday night. Compton did her job in the circle all night as well, only allowing three hits while ignoring three walks and a hit batter to deliver the Indians back-to-back championships.
It was a night and day difference for Fort White, which was outscored by Branford 14-1 in the two regular-season matchups.
“We’re very, very excited. Relieved but excited,” Compton said. “We knew we had to come into this game and battle because every time we come and play Branford we get very scared, very worked up with ourselves and we don’t come into the game calm. Today we came into the game calm, and we just played ball like we know we can. We put it on the ground for them to make errors and we just came out and played.”
Fort White (10-9) scored two runs apiece in the first two innings, each time coming courtesy of a throwing error. Typically this season it’s been the Indians who have handed opponents runs with errors, but they turned the tables against the No. 2 team in Class 1A.
The strategy coming in was to apply pressure on Branford’s defense, and Fort White did just that.
“We told them we were going to push them,” Fort White head coach Michele Padgett said. “We know when pressure is applied to us how it makes us feel, so we were going to come in and be aggressive and make them make errors. We knew that the team that won tonight was going to be the team that made fewer errors.”
The Buccaneers had their chances at the plate but couldn’t deliver. They had runners on third base in each of the first two innings, and also had runners in scoring position in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth only to come up empty each time.
It was the first time all season that Branford (22-4) was shut out. And defensively, the Buccaneers looked like a team that wasn’t ready for the moment.
“We looked like a rec ball team out there,” Branford head coach Oscar Saavedra said. “It was rough. It was rough, and it wasn’t a fear thing or it’s Fort White. We beat them twice. We’ve done well. We beat ourselves. We beat ourselves with stupid mistakes, throwing behind runners, I can name so many.”
Fort White first struck on the third inning when Harlee Mills drew a leadoff walk before her courtesy runner, Jermauni Byrd, reached second via a passed ball. It set up an RBI single by Madison Brown, who reached second on the throw back into the infield.
Brown advanced to third on a ground out and N’Coreyia Atkins then flew out to right field for the second out. That’s when Brown took off halfway down the baseline on the throw to the plate, which baited catcher Morgan Brennan to sail a throw not just over third baseman Madyson Sikes but also over the head of left fielder Alex Whitfield.
The error easily allowed Brown to score to make it 2-0.
“We were just trying to score in the moment, do everything we could to get home and put pressure on them, and that’s what happened,” Brown said. “We put pressure on the play to go home and because of the pressure they overthrew the ball and that’s how we scored.”
Branford pitcher Laila Arnold walked Ciara Byrd to start the fourth inning and a passed ball got Byrd over to second before Clemons singled two batters later. The throw to third behind Byrd was cut off by shortstop Cloey Criggall, who tried to then throw out Clemons racing to second base only to airmail the ball into right field instead.
Both runners scored to put Fort White up 4-0.
“I was just like, ‘go, go, go as fast as you can,’ because I really wanted to make it home,” Clemons said. “I really wanted to make it home. I’m just so happy because we all wanted this so bad and we all knew we could do it.”
Arnold didn’t last too long into the fifth inning, getting pulled after allowing a leadoff single to Morgan Kelly. Saavedra turned to Whitfield, but another error and a walk loaded the bases to set up an RBI fielder’s choice from Ciara Byrd.
Hannah LeBleu then hit an infield single to load the bases again and the Indians scored two more runs on an RBI fielder’s choice from Clemons and another Bucs error.
Arnold was ultimately charged with five unearned runs on five hits and a pair of walks with four strikeouts.
“Tonight we got in our heads and beat ourselves, and I’m blaming myself also,” Saavedra said. “Did I have them prepared? Obviously not. But there are going to be some changes, let’s put it that way.”
UP NEXT
The teams will meet again in next Thursday’s Region 3-1A semifinals, this time in Fort White.
The FHSAA released the playoff brackets on Friday, with Branford getting the No. 1 seed with a 13.931 rating while Fort White is the 4-seed with a 7.012 rating. But because the Indians won the district, they’ll host the Buccaneers due to hosting rules for the first round.
Aucilla Christian (13-7) just jumped Fort White for the No. 3 seed with a 7.094 rating after upsetting Hilliard to win the District 5 title. As a result, Aucilla Christian will host Hilliard (12-7, 9.572) in the regional semifinals.