Led by star shortstop, Doral softball primed for another run at state title run
Already one of the top softball shortstops in the nation, and a University of Texas commit, Doral Academy’s Anabela Abdullah knew things would be a little different heading into her senior season.
Being the only starting senior for the defending state champion Firebirds, who once again entered the season with high expectations, Abdullah knew teams would try to pitch to her a little more carefully or bypass her altogether by putting her on base.
She also knew she’d be counted on even more for leadership by her younger teammates than in years past.
So, as Doral has during what’s been another impressive softball season, Abdullah turned her focus internally and made it about just making the team better.
“I just needed to adjust within myself and not swing at pitches I don’t need to swing at,” Abdullah said. “These girls have been working all season, in the weight room and doing all of their stuff. They’ve matured so much as young ladies and they’ve stepped it up. And it’s been easier for me because now I don’t feel the weight of the world. They’re doing their job and they’re hitting bombs and it’s great to see how far they’ve come.”
Doral Academy gave another demonstration of how well its younger group has developed this season on Thursday night by handling South Broward on its way to an 18-1 mercy rule victory after only three innings in a Region 4-6A quarterfinal at the Firebirds’ home field.
After the Bulldogs (8-11) opened some eyes when left fielder Mayah Torres smacked the third pitch of the game from Doral freshman Camila Diaz over the left field wall, the Firebirds answered immediately with three runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Then, the floodgates opened.
Doral scored 15 runs without recording an out in the bottom of the second inning, highlighted by four home runs. Sophomore Ashley Tremont hit two of those home runs and finished with four RBI and catcher Kyla Paul hit a grand slam. Sophomore Sara Utrera also hit a two-run home run.
The Firebirds (24-2), who will host West Boca Raton on Tuesday at 6 in the regional semifinals, are still one of the nation’s top teams. Doral entered the week ranked 25th by MaxPreps nationally, and is the top-ranked team in Florida regardless of classification.
“We’re in a good place right now, but we’re young. In the past, we’ve had so many seniors that we focused more on other teams, but this year, we had to focus more within since we had only two seniors,” Doral coach Willie Viruet said. “We’re playing good defense, getting good pitching and putting the ball in play.”
Meanwhile, Diaz shook off South Broward’s initial blast by striking out the next five batters she faced and finished with eight overall. Diaz has stepped in effectively in the pitching circle for Doral, and continued the program’s tradition of strong aces this season.
“For her to come out here and do what she’s done the first time she’s had the opportunity is amazing,” Abdullah said. “She’s been carrying us when the bats haven’t been working and gotten us through everything. She’s going to take us all the way to state. She looks up to us and we look up to her and we couldn’t be prouder.”
Meanwhile for Abdullah, who hit 15 home runs her junior season, it’s been about patience at the plate. Although she has only five home runs this season, she is still hitting .433 with a .593 on-base percentage with teams preferring often to walk her instead of risking facing her tough bat.
“It’s been an adjustment. When you go from the horses we’ve had in this lineup before to now, she had a lot of protection in this lineup,” Viruet said. “We knew that was going to happen. But she has batters now that are stepping up and have taken some of the pressure off.”
For Abdullah, the focus over the next two weeks remains on leading the Firebirds to a second consecutive state championship and their third overall since 2021.
“I’m just making sure I’m on top of my stuff and the way I carry myself around practice and make sure everyone is doing everything right,” Abdullah said. “When I do leave here, they are in stride with what they need to do just like I was after the seniors that came before me. I’ve been working on that and excited for Texas, and I’m excited for when I get there.”
MORE RESULTS
Region 4-7A quarterfinal - Western 10, Cypress Bay 0 (6): Cheyanne Chaffin struck out 12, walked two and allowed only one hit over six innings to lead the Wildcats (21-5) to the home win. Western will next host West Broward on Tuesday in the regional semifinals at 6:30. Brooke Bacaris went 4 for 4 with two RBI and Julie Rodriguez went 3 for 3 with three RBI. Katarina Kuma had two hits, including a double, and two RBI while Analie Diaz had two doubles.
Region 4-7A quarterfinal - West Broward 3, Coral Glades 1: Victoria Carmona had two hits including a triple and Samantha Maristany had a hit and an RBI to lead the Bobcats (13-13). Milian Valdez also had two hits and Isabella Zamora had an RBI. Freshman Samara Higgs struck out five and walked eight, but allowed only one run on three hits over seven innings.
Region 4-7A quarterfinal - Coral Reef 15, Goleman 0 (3): Alicia Thomason, Addisyn Hinds and Gia Baltodano each had two RBI to lead the Barracudas (18-5-1). Sierra Johnson had two hits and an RBI. Erin Zambrano allowed one hit and struck out seven over three innings.
Region 4-7A quarterfinal - Boca Raton Spanish River 6, Douglas 4
Region 4-6A quarterfinal - Cooper City 19, Braddock 4 (3): Eliana Konak had three hits and three RBI to lead the Cowboys (13-9), who will next host South Plantation on Tuesday at 7. Rylee Hedden had two hits and two RBI and Lola Pedicelli had a two-run single. Juliana Marrero also had two RBI.
Region 4-6A quarterfinal - South Plantation 12, Flanagan 2 (6): McKenna Henschel struck out 10 and allowed three hits and three walks over six innings for the Paladins (11-8). Amelia Rodriguez had two hits, including a home run, and four RBI. Tessa Bertsch had three hits, including a double and a triple, and three RBI.
Region 4-6A quarterfinal - West Boca Raton 10, Fort Lauderdale 1
Region 4-5A quarterfinal - Pembroke Pines Charter 10, Palm Bay Heritage 0 (5): Destiney Ortega struck out 14 and threw a five-inning one-hitter to lead the Jaguars (19-8). Caitlynn Brown had three RBI. Ortega, Isabella Pascual and Sofia Rodriguez each had two hits and an RBI.
Region 4-5A quarterfinal - St. Thomas Aquinas 15, McArthur 0 (3): Lavinia Miller struck out nine of the 10 batters she faced, walked the other and did not allow a hit in three innings for the Raiders (12-12). Olivia Alvarez had three hits, including a home run and a triple, and three RBI. Miller, Olivia Johnson and Haylee Cook each had a hit and an RBI.
