The American Heritage Patriots have lost just twice the past two seasons, and both times those losses have come against Gulliver Prep.
The Raiders made it two seasons in a row with a 3-0 win in the regional finals of the Florida Class 3A playoffs Tuesday. The loss eliminates American Heritage from the postseason, a fate it also suffered last year when Gulliver Prep ended its season.
American Heritage entered the game ranked No. 4 in the MaxPreps Xcellent 25 National Softball rankings and drops to No. 8 with the loss, just behind No. 7 Gulliver Prep.
American Heritage's loss, along with Hudsonville's loss at the No. 5 spot, allowed Plano to move up to No. 4 overall and Sarasota to move up to No. 5.
The Woodlands holds on to the No. 1 spot with impressive wins in bi-district play. The Highlanders have held down the No. 1 spot since the second week of the season.
MAXPREPS XCELLENT 25 NATIONAL SOFTBALL RANKINGS
1. (last week 1) The Woodlands (Texas), 34-0
The Highlanders opened bi-district play with a pair of shutout wins over Klein, winning 12-0 and 10-0.
Paige McDuffee picked up the win and also went 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a double in the 12-0 win. McDuffee was 2-for-3 with four RBIs, a double and a home run in the 10-0 victory while throwing a one-hitter.
2. (2) Alexander Central (Taylorsville, N.C.), 19-0
The Cougars topped Forbush 6-0 with
Chelsea Wilkinson hitting a home run and striking out seven for the win. Wilkinson also had a home run in a 25-1 win over Mt. Pleasant while striking out 11.
Brooke Sharpe added two home runs against Mt. Pleasant while
Cortlin Hartness had one.
3. (3) East Lake (Tarpon Springs, Fla.), 27-0
The Eagles have breezed through the first two rounds of the playoffs, dispatching Northeast (St. Petersburg) 15-0 and Pinellas Park (Largo) 13-0.
Marisa Palumbo drove in three runs with two doubles against Northeast while
Alyssa Bache struck out 10 in the win over Pinellas Park. Palumbo also helped out by going 4-for-5.
4. (6) Plano (Texas), 32-3
The Wildcats won their first two games in bi-district play, stopping Keller Central 2-0 and 5-2.
Julia Knight had a triple and
Tori Seasor had a double in the 2-0 win while
MacKenzie Velasquez had a triple and
Erin Lowell and
Katherine Batey each doubled in the second game.
5. (7) Sarasota (Fla.), 26-2
The Sailors advanced in the Class 6A Florida state playoffs with a pair of close wins. Sarasota held off Alonso 1-0 and edged Plant (Tampa), 2-1 to reach the regional final.
6. (8) Bartow (Fla.), 25-1
The Yellowjackets advanced to the regional final with shutout wins over Lake Wales, 19-0, and Osceola, 7-0.
Elizabeth Glass had a pair of home runs against Osceola to lead the Bartow hitting attack. Late Tuesday, Bartow advanced to the semifinals with a 4-3 win over Plant City.
7. (9) Gulliver Prep (Miami), 28-2
The Raiders set up the showdown with undefeated American Heritage by downing Doral Academy Charter 3-1 and University School of NSU 6-1 in the Class 3A Florida state playoffs. For the second straight season, Gulliver Prep ended American Heritage's season with a win in the playoffs.
Kelsea Roth, Esperanza
Photo by Heston Quan
The Patriots fell from the playoffs after suffering their first loss of the season, a 3-0 defeat to Gulliver Prep on Tuesday. The Patriots shut out St. Andrew's 16-0 and Pompano Beach 13-0 to open the Florida Class 3A playoffs.
Bailey Castro and
Hayley Lombard homered against St. Andrew's.
9. (11) Riverdale (Murfreesboro, Tenn.), 38-2
Riverdale continues to rack up the wins, beating Wilson Central (Lebanon) 12-0, Smyrna 12-1 and Oakland (Murfreesboro) 9-0.
Rachel Albritton struck out nine on a one-hitter against Wilson Central while
Taylor Lee had two triples against Smyrna. Albritton had another big game with a two-hitter and 12 strikeouts.
Dene Souviney homered in the Oakland win and Albritton threw another one-hitter.
10. (12) Canyon del Oro (Tucson, Ariz.), 29-1
The Dorados claimed wins over Flowing Wells (Tucson) 21-1 and Sabino (Tucson) 18-2.
11. (13) Coronado (Lubbock, Texas), 34-0
The Mustangs opened bi-district play with a sweep of Montwood (El Paso), 10-7 and 12-1.
12. (14) Northern (Owings, Md.), 13-0
Northern outscored opponents 53-0 last week, beating Westlake 25-0, Chopticon 16-0 and Lackey 12-0.
13. (17) Bonita Vista (Chula Vista, Calif.), 26-0
The Barons returned to action this week by taking two from Mater Dei (Chula Vista), 12-1 and 19-6.
Celinna Cosio had a home run in the 12-1 victory.
14. (18) Esperanza (Anaheim, Calif.), 20-1
The Aztecs knocked off Villa Park 7-1 and Foothill (Santa Ana) 5-2 in Century League play last week.
15 (19) Chesapeake (Pasadena, Md.), 14-0
The Cougars won three times last week, topping Glen Burnie 3-2, Meade 6-0 and Glen Burnie again by a 3-2 score.
16. (21) Etiwanda (Calif.), 19-2
The Eagles beat Alta Loma 5-3 and Rancho Cucamonga 6-0 in Baseline League play.
Delaney Spaulding had a home run and three RBIs against Alta Loma
17. (22) Lake Norman (Mooresville, N.C.), 19-1
The Wildcats did not play last week.
18. (NR) Lakota East (Liberty Township, Ohio), 18-1
The Thunderhawks are 18-1 after a 5-0 win over Colerain last week.
Sara Pearson just missed a perfect game due to an error. She finished with a no-hitter and 10 strikeouts.
19. (23) North Davidson (Lexington, N.C.), 16-1
The Black Knights rebounded from their first loss in more than a year and a half by beating Central Davidson 1-0 and Davie County 7-2 in Central Piedmont Conference play.
Eliza Davis had 14 strikeouts against Davie County.
20. (16) Sunrise Mountain (Peoria, Ariz.), 23-2
The Mustangs split two games with Agua Fria (Avondale) last week, winning 10-0 and losing 5-4.
Karissa Haleman had four RBIs in the win.
Dani Bonnet had a home run in the loss.
21. (NR) East Ridge (Clermont, Fla.), 28-3
The Knights advanced to the Florida 6A regional finals before falling to Sarasota 3-2 on Tuesday. East Ridge knocked off St. Lucie West Centennial 5-2 in the regional semifinals and topped Vero Beach in its playoff opener.
22. (NR) Los Alamitos (Calif.), 21-2-1
The Griffins moved up to No. 2 in the Southern Section Division 1 rankings behind Esperanza. Defeated Huntington Beach 6-0 and Fountain Valley 5-4 last week.
23. (NR) Bartram Trail (St. Johns, Fla.), 28-2
The Bears are the favorite to win the Florida 4A state championship after winning their regional final over Wakulla 8-0 on Tuesday. Also defeated Paxon School in the regional semifinals 4-3 and opened the tournament with a 7-0 win over Bishop Kenny.
24. (NR) Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.), 28-5
The defending Florida Class 6A champions moved within a game of the championship with an 11-1 win over Cooper City. Palm Beach Gardens also topped Douglas 6-1 in the regional semifinals and opened the playoffs with a 1-0 win over Taravella. Next up is Sarasota.
25. (NR) Tomball (Texas), 28-3
The Cougars finished district play undefeated at 14-0 and opened the 5A playoffs with a pair of wins over Atascocita.
Katie Doerre leads the team with a .514 batting average and six home runs.
Dropped Out: No. 5 Hudsonville, No. 10 Poland Seminary, No. 14 Johansen, No. 20 Bishop O'Connell, No. 24. Morris Knolls, No. 25 Valencia.
