Doral Academy ousts Cooper City to earn chance to repeat as state champions
Struggling early after being worn down by the midday searing heat, Doral Academy pitcher Alyssa Zabala had to dig down and find something that would carry her through.
Feeling light-headed at one point, she found herself finding shade behind the dugout and getting more fluids in her to keep going.
Did she ever keep going.
After allowing a pair of runs in the first three innings and see her team fall behind 2-1, Zabala did more than just settle down. Zabala dominated from that point on, retiring the final 14 batters of the game while watching her teammates rally for a 5-2 win over Cooper City 5-2 in a Region 4-6A final at the Cowboys’ home field.
Doral snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth to win a showdown between arguably the two best softball teams in South Florida overall.
“There was one inning there where I was ‘I don’t know how I’m going to get through this’ and I just kind had to dig down and find a way to get through it,” said Zabala, a senior who is committed to Louisville and finished the game allowing just three hits while striking out seven. “I realized this is it, if I don’t suck it up and get out there then this is going to be the last game of my high school career and there was just no way I wasn’t going to let that happen. With all of the heart and effort I put in I was able to settle down and push through it.”
Doral (23-4-1), ranked No. 1 in the state in 6A and No. 3 overall in all classifications, advances to its second straight final four and, looking to repeat as 6A state champions, will take on New Port Richey Mitchell in a state semifinal at Legends Way Ball Fields in Clermont on Friday at 10 a.m.
“Alyssa was really tough out there,” Doral coach Willie Viruet said. “We knew she was having some problems with the heat but she’s tough and battled through it. She got some fluids in her, toughed it out and then actually got stronger as the game went on.”
After making a pair of uncharacteristic errors in the field that allowed the Cowboys (23-4) to score single runs in the first and third innings to go up 2-1, the Firebirds got the game tied right away when freshmen Sara Breaux, with runners on the corners and two outs, came through with a clutch RBI single just inside the right field line.
Doral then took a lead it would never lose when it scored all three of its runs in the sixth with two outs.
Pinch hitter Emily Santana got the rally started with a one-out double off the center field fence. Gianna Juan then singled to left putting runners on the corners with one out. After Annabella Abdullah grounded out to the pitcher for the second out, Breaux stepped up and hit a hard grounder to short that the Cooper City shortstop could not handle allowing a run to score. Megan Villazon then came up and ripped a shot to the fence in left center scoring both Juan and Breaux.
“We knew coming in here today that this would be really tough game and we think we all had the same mentality about this coming out here and winning this game not only for us but all of the people that support us,” Breaux said. “We have a special opportunity in front of us now, especially for our senior Alyssa. We really appreciate everything she’s done for this program because she really is an amazing player, it’s our turn to return the favor.”
Zabala said that the possibility of closing out her high school career with back-to-back state titles has driven her and what pulled her through on Saturday.
“We know how though this region is and that we always kind of knew that it would eventually come down to either us or Cooper City to get to states,” Zabala said. “Coming out here and being able to beat them on their field is huge because now it really helps prepare us for what we’re going to face at state. It will pay off in the long run and the thought of a two-peat to close out my career in really exciting.”
Said Viruet: “Today was pretty much a heavyweight matchup between two really good teams and two great pitchers. We hadn’t come up here to play them at their place in awhile so it was a challenge for our young team. What we’ve done here in the last five years has been awesome and we’re one step closer to where we want to get to. Tonight we’ll celebrate a little but then we know we’ve got two more to go to get to where we really want to be and that’s state champions for a second straight time.”