Lake Region junior shortshop Jordan Barnes led the Thunder with four hits including a 2 –run triple in the sixth inning of their 6-0 victory over the St. Cloud Bulldogs. Barnes drove in four of the Lake Region runs and scored a run after her triple. It was the first game in the 24th annual Kissimmee Klassic for both teams in one of the nation’s top softball tournaments.
Thunder junior pitcher Mary Haff kept the Bulldogs off balance all game, striking out 11 en route to a complete game four-hitter. Haff also contributed at the plate going 2-4 with two doubles on the day. Haff improves to 14-1 on the year while the Thunder (18-1) continue to rebound after losing to Plant City last weekend.
The Bulldogs were never able to get into a rhythm at the plate until the final inning when senior Sarah Crawford singled to get senior Katlyn McFann to second. Aggressive baserunning by McFann on freshman Alysson O’Donnell’s single ended the game when McFann was thrown out at home trying to get the Bulldogs on the board. St. Cloud drops their second straight game after not playing a game for three weeks and falls to 11-6 on the season.
In the second game of the BHSN Game of the Week Doubleheader, defending Kissimmee Klassic champion Hagerty (18-2) knocked off the same Newsome Wolves (16-2) that bounced them out of the state semifinals a season ago. The Huskies struck in the first inning plating 2 runs on singles by Jordie Miller and Ashley Worrell. They would add on four more runs in the fifth when the Wolves Claire Feldman gave up four singles and the defense committed two errors. The 16th seeded Huskies move on to face Pembroke Pines Charter in the next round on Friday.