A slow start was the obvious reason for the Lady Bulldogs 11-4 loss to Springstead, but it was their resilience that kept Zephyrhills from falling to the 10-run mercy rule.
Moral victories don’t earn teams high seeds in the district tournament, but it does give coaches something to build on.
Zephyrhills fell behind 10-0 to Springstead in the second inning. It appeared the 10-run mercy rule was just a few innings away, but the Lady Bulldogs scored a run in the bottom of the second and then held the Eagles to just one run the rest of the game, while scoring three more.
“We started really slow,” said head coach Kristen Dumont. “They didn’t give up. They went the full seven innings and in the last few innings is when our bat came alive. It’s been like that. Either we start hot and end low or we start low and end hot. It’s not consistent.
“We have work to do.”
Bulldog sophomore Ariah Drovandi led the way going 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Senior Izabella Mathis went 2-for-4 with a double, single, and a run scored.
Defensively, freshman catcher Isabella Rivera played a huge role in keeping the Eagles from shutting the game down early. Handling three pitchers on the night and making a run-saving tag at the plate, Rivera had an amazing night.