Machado’s home run helps Doral clinch first trip to state final; Palmetto falls in semis

Doral Academy senior Kassandra Machado wanted to treat Friday’s state softball semifinal like a normal game.

So she did what she normally does — hit a home run.

Machado’s towering, two-run blast in the bottom of the first inning set Doral Academy on course for a 5-2 victory over New Port Richey Mitchell in a Class 6A semifinal at Legends Way Ball Fields in Clermont.

The Firebirds (28-2), ranked No. 11 in the nation by MaxPreps, will take on 2019 Class 8A champion Winter Springs (22-7) on Saturday at 3 p.m. with a chance to win their first state title.

“I was trying to play it like it was another game,” Machado said. “But on that at-bat, I saw a pretty pitch and just swung at it.”

Machado has been seeing a lot of “pretty pitches” all season.

Machado’s homer was her 17th this season, giving her the most in the state this season. Machado’s total also ranks 22nd in the nation overall, according to MaxPreps.

“She’s been really special to watch this year,” Doral coach Willie Viruet said. “She’s one of the best hitters in the country.”

Machado, who signed with Liberty University, hit only one home run in 10 games last season before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

She said the difference this season came down to self-confidence at the plate.

“Last year was not a good hitting year for me at all,” Machado said. “I worked on my confidence this offseason, and I think also committing to Liberty helped, too. I’ve definitely been more relaxed out there.”

Doral junior pitcher Alyssa Zabala didn’t have one of her better games by her standards, giving up two solo home runs in a game for the first time this season. But Zabala, who entered the game with an 0.82 ERA, shook off the damage each time including in the seventh when she retired the side in order to end the game after giving up a homer to Mitchell shortstop Alexis Barber.

Zabala struck out five, walked four and gave up four hits in her 16th complete game of the season.

“She’s been challenged the last couple of games,” Viruet said. “But she doesn’t have to have her best stuff in order to compete. And she battled today against a lot of good hitters.”

The Firebirds mustered only three hits overall, but drew seven walks as starting shortstop Anabela Abdullah, a seventh-grader, went 1 for 3 with a two-run single in the sixth, and made a great defensive play on a backhanded stop and throw to first to prevent a Mitchell scoring chance in the fifth.

“You don’t often see a seventh-grader and senior combo leading the team at the plate,” Viruet said. “But they’ve been doing the job for us for most of the season. At such a young age, Anabela is showing she can do both, hit and play good defense.”

▪ Class 7A state semifinal — Lakewood Ranch 17, Palmetto 2 (4 inn.): The Panthers’ return to state after a four-year absence was short and painful thanks to the Mustangs (29-2), who entered the game ranked No. 3 in the nation by MaxPreps.

Palmetto, which hasn’t won a game at state since 2012 or won a state title since 2008, suffered its most lopsided defeat ever at the state final four.

Sophomore Cassidy McLellan hit the first of her two home runs to lead off the game and a five-run first inning for Lakewood Ranch, which advanced to play Lake Worth Park Vista on Saturday in the 7A final.

Palmetto senior third baseman Olivia Rapp drove in the Panthers’ lone two runs after they loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the inning. But that was all Palmetto could muster against junior Ella Coiner, who gave up only one hit over four innings. Lakewood Ranch, meanwhile, totaled 13 earned runs on 18 hits off Palmetto juniors Melody Vizcaino and Alexis Ortega.

“That’s the greatest hitting team I’ve seen in all my years of coaching,” said Palmetto coach Emilio Exposito, whose team loses only two seniors. “But we’ll learn from this and get better.”

This story was originally published May 21, 2021 at 5:55 PM.