PACE- Due to another phenomenal pitching performance by superstar pitcher Jaden Heavener and 13 total hits as a team, No. 1 seed Pace High School (27-1, 6A District 1) destroyed No. 2 seed Hagerty High School (19-8, 6A District 4) 10-1 in the Regional Final of the 6A FHSAA Softball Tournament. With the win, the Patriots have clinched their third straight appearance in the State Semi-Finals, and will prepare to play No. 4 seed Land O’ Lakes (19-11, 6A District 5) on May 26th, at Pace High School.
As throughout the entire 2022-2023 season, Heavener continued her dominance on Friday versus Hagerty. While facing 26 total batters in all seven innings, Heavener allowed just one hit and one walk, and managed to strike out 16 batters on 93 pitches. During the 18 innings Heavener has pitched during the 6A FHSAA Tournament, she has an ERA of 0.77 and 47 strikeouts while allowing just five hits and four walks in blowout wins versus Niceville, Oviedo, and Hagerty. For the entire season, Heavener is 17-1 with an ERA of 0.19, and has 13 complete games, ten shutouts, and six no-hitters, all as a Junior.
In addition to her outstanding pitching on the mound, Heavener was just as impactful in the batters’ box, as Heavener smacked a two-run single off Hagerty’s sophomore starting pitcher Alexandra Beldowicz. It’s worth noting that Pace’s entire batting lineup was effective on Friday, as eight of ten Patriots recorded 1+ hit, and three Patriots connected on home runs. To clarify, junior third baseman Shelby McKenzie went 3-3 from the plate, including a solo home run on Beldowicz, accounting for three of Pace’s ten runs. Meanwhile, junior shortstop Tatum Hasting went 1-4 and junior first baseman and centerfielder Shelby Crooks went 2-3, resulting in Crooks and Hasting connecting on their fourth and first home runs of the season, respectively.
Similar to Heavener, McKenzie, Hasting, and Crooks, junior right fielder Mallory Baker was solid for Pace, notching two hits and two RBI in four-player appearances. Not to be outdone, star senior second baseman Bethany Dean and senior centerfielder Riley Forbes played well, as Dean was 1-4 at the plate with a game-high two stolen bases, while Forbes went 2-4 at the plate. Finally, catcher Abigail McLean secured her first hit of the 6A FHSAA Tournament in three plate appearances, helping Pace score in all six innings the Patriots were up to bat.
“It feels unreal to go to state for the third straight year, especially since it’s my senior year”, Dean told FL Teams’ Brad Smith. “I’m just so happy for the team and for the ability to compete for a state championship.”
As a result of playing the No. 9th Softball team in the nation, Beldowicz struggled in her start, allowing three hits, three earned runs, and two home runs against three strikeouts against nine Patriot batters in two innings. In spite of Huskies’ manager David Stone having senior pitcher Reese Twiggs come in for relief of Beldowicz at the start of the third inning, Pace’s offense continued to plate runs, as six of eleven Patriots that faced Twiggs recorded a hit, resulting in four more runs to give Pace a 7-0 lead in the fifth inning. Stone would let sophomore pitcher Ella Verne take over for Twiggs on the mound, but Pace continued to score, adding four hits and three runs during Verne’s two innings of work.
In spite of enduring a disappointing 1-10 elimination loss to Pace, Hagerty centerfielder Ana Roman secured a solo home run off Heavener in the sixth inning, her first of the season. Roman’s solo shot was just the second home run Heavener has given up during her three-year tenure on Pace’s Varsity Softball team, with the other coming during the 2021-2022 season as a sophomore. Outside of Roman, just senior third baseman Ava Thornsbury managed to notch a hit off Heavener, as the Huskies’ had a collective batting average of 0.87 on Friday.
As previously mentioned, Pace is set to play Land O’ Lakes in the State Semi-Finals on May 26th, with the first pitch scheduled for 12:00 PM Eastern Time. If the Patriots manage to defeat the Gators, then they will move to the 6A State Championship game, and will play the winner of the second State Semi-Final game between the No. 2 seed Bartow Yellow Jackets (27-3, 6A District 10) and the No. 3 seed Doral Academy Jackets (24-4-1, 6A District 15) on Friday, May 26th, at 2:30 PM Central Time.
3 peat 6A REGIONAL CHAMPS!!! Headed back to the final 4! Pace wins 10-1 over Hagerty. JAYDEN with 16 Ks, 3 more 💣💣💣s from Shelby M, Tatum and Shelby C! 13 total hits!!! @pnj_sports @srpressgazette @MaxPreps @LegacyLegendsS1 @SBLiveFL @ExtraInningSB pic.twitter.com/u2iUNzz7Lq
— Pace High School Softball (@softball_Pace) May 20, 2023