Doral softball team left lamenting missed opportunities in state final loss to Melbourne
Doral Academy coach Willie Viruet knew his youthful team would have to take advantage of every opportunity it received in Saturday’s Class 6A state championship against Melbourne. The fourth-ranked Bulldogs allowed just nine runs in 28 previous games this season.
Viruet’s team had numerous chances, with two runners on base in four of the seven innings. Yet, each time Melbourne pitcher Jasmine Francik shut them down.
Meanwhile, the Bulldogs scored on their lone chance – a sacrifice fly by Sofia Valcourt in the sixth - and emerged with a 1-0 championship victory at Legends Way Ballfields.
“We had runners in scoring position,” Viruet said. “We had our opportunities. We just didn’t get that big hit. When they got that opportunity, they got that sacrifice. That made the difference. It’s kind of crazy the way it rolls sometimes.”
The Firebirds (24-5-1) drew a pair of walks in the first inning before Francik struck out Ana Richiez to escape. With runners on first and second with one out in the third, Francik (19-1) struck out Sarah Breaux and got Meagan Villazon to ground out. The sophomore, the ace of a pitching staff that recorded 400 strikeouts this season, induced Anabela Abdullah to pop out and Breaux to fly out to erase the threat in the fifth after runners reached second and third with one out. After a pair of two-out walks in the sixth, Francik struck out Arianna Machado.
“Regardless of how prepared you get, it’s tough to hit a girl like that, whose balls move so much,” Viruet said of Francik, who struck out 11. “That’s what it was. Her curve ball was on. Her screwball was on. Her change-up was on. You’re just trying to survive every at bat. We got a couple of good at bats, but we weren’t able to get that big hit.”
Melbourne, which won its first softball state title, was largely kept in check by Louisville-bound pitcher Alyssa Zabala. The senior struck out eight and allowed just two hits and two walks.
After she retired 15 of the first 17 batters she faced through five innings, Zabala allowed a leadoff triple by Hailey Turner to open the sixth inning. Turner scored on Valcourt’s sacrifice fly to right field.
Even though the Firebirds failed to defend their 2021 championship, the team is primed for future championship runs. Zabala is the lone senior on the team.
“I’m super excited to see where this program goes,” said Zabala, who finished with 299 strikeouts this season. “I know we have a lot of young girls which is why, at the same time, nobody really expected this. Even though we were here last year, we have more middle schoolers and underclassmen than upperclassmen.”
The same youth that beckons hope for the future also could have been detrimental. Doral needed a walk off two-run single on Friday by eighth-grader Gabriella D’Arcangelo to defeat New Port Richey Mitchell 3-2 and couldn’t duplicate the heroics on Saturday.
“It makes a difference sometimes because a lot of them haven’t been in that situation before,” Viruet said. “Like I told them now, don’t forget it. Don’t forget the way it feels, the hurt in a game like that because it should make them hungrier to be able to come back next year. Hopefully it’s a teaching moment for a lot of our girls because they’re so young.”
This story was originally published May 28, 2022 at 6:52 PM.