CLERMONT, Fla. – Baker County’s pursuit of a second softball state championship came up short in agonizing fashion on Thursday night.
Eustis had two of its five hits in the bottom of the seventh, the clincher a punch up the middle by Kendall Kemp that scored pinch runner Kaylen Bublitz as the Panthers walked off with a dramatic 1-0 win over the Wildcats at Legends Way in Clermont. Baker County (21-6) was playing in its first state title game since beating Plantation American Heritage 1-0 for the crown in 2015.
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It was a pitcher’s duel until the very end, with Baker’s Chloe Woods holding the Panthers (26-2) in check for 6.1 innings. On the other side, Eustis’ Skyler Cloud allowed just three hits — Haley Marker, Masyn Barlow and Mallory Jackson — but all three were stranded in scoring position.
The loss was reminiscent of Wednesday’s Class 2A championship game where University Christian lost a 1-0 game to Evangelical Christian on a walk-off single. UC was no-hit in that game in an attempt to defend its state championship.
Baker’s Woods struck out seven including an inning-ending strikeout in the sixth. But Jensen Luke ripped a double to the wall in left field and Kemp ended it one batter later. Luke had the two hardest hits of the game, with another double to the wall in left in the fourth.
Chloe Johnson threw out two runners trying to steal second base for the Wildcats.