Western softball rallies in seventh to beat West Broward, return to state

Western’s four-run rally in the bottom of the seventh inning stunned West Broward with a 5-4 victory in a Class 7A regional final at Western High.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Wildcats starting senior pitcher Ali Solo forced in the winning run when she was hit by a pitch on her right foot to score Katarina Kuma from third.

The victory lifted the advanced Wildcats (20-5-1) to the state semifinals at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood where they will look to repeat as state champs. Western will face Oviedo Hagerty on May 23 at either 2 or 4 in a 7A state semifinal.

“We fight to the end,” Western coach John Bradshaw said. “These girls have been in big games, and they never give up. We preach that day in and day out. A lot of hard work goes into this. Every time we step on the field, we have a chance to win. The opposing pitcher lost control towards the end, and I instructed Ali (Solo) to take advantage of this opportunity. It turned out and we’re going to states.”

Solo, who wasn’t having her best outing, relished in the moment.

“This was probably one of the biggest moments for me,” Solo said. “I wasn’t expecting her to hit me at all. She had been pitching great all night. Honestly, I was going to do anything for my team at that point. I had been struggling at the plate. Taking that pitch obviously got us somewhere.”

Up 2-1 entering the top of the sixth inning, the Bobcats added two more runs on an error, allowing Mady Remotigue and Cyara Geronimo to score increasing their lead to three runs.

West Broward (18-8) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning on a two-run double down the left-field line, with Victoria Carmona and Isabella Cruz scoring.

Western had managed a pair of meaningless hits through the first three-innings, before a bunt single by Gia Solano pushed Delaney Clair, who was running for Kennedy Butter, home from third.

“She gave it everything she got,” said West Broward coach Kyle Davis of his starting pitcher in sophomore Cheyanne Chaffin. “Sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. Having a 4-1 lead slip away in the last inning with an out is hard to swallow. We just fell short, and it hurts. It’s beyond words.”

Region 4-2A final - Westminster Christian 9, Florida Christian 8: For the second consecutive game, the Warriors (20-7-1) faced elimination, trailing by several runs. And once again, Westminster found a way to keep its season alive.

The Warriors trailed the Patriots (19-9) after five innings, 7-1. But Westminster answered with four in the sixth and two more in the seventh to push the game to extra innings.

Erin Perez, who went 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI, drove in the winning run for the walk-off victory to send Westminster to the state final four next week in Longwood. Jasmine Armenteros went 2-for-5 with a double and three RBI while Gigi Khoury had two doubles and two RBI. Mya Rodgers also had two RBI.

The Warriors, who will play Panama City North Bay Haven on Tuesday night in a state semifinal at either 6 or 8, were also down 8-1 in their regional semifinal earlier this week against Oxbridge Academy before rallying for a 9-8 win.

Westminster advanced to the state semifinals for the first time since 2021 and is chasing its first state title since 2018 and sixth overall.

Region 4-6A final - Doral 15, South Plantation 0 (3): Sarah Breaux went 3-for-3 with a home run and seven RBI to lead the Firebirds (29-1), ranked No. 4 nationally, to the blowout win over the Paladins (14-12).

Doral advanced to state for the sixth consecutive season and will try to win its second state title next week. The Firebirds will take on Valrico Bloomingdale on May 23 at either 2 or 4 at Boombah Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood.

Lauren Ali and Alondra Aldebol-Borrero each had two hits. Meagan Villazon gave up two hits, but struck out eight and walked two. Doral has not allowed a run in five postseason games.

Region 4-5A final - St. Thomas Aquinas 10, Stuart South Fork 1: Tina D’Agostino went 3 for 4 with a double and three RBI and Summer Givens went 3 for 3 with a triple and three RBI to lead the Raiders (16-12), who scored seven runs in the fifth to break the game open.

Lavinia Miller allowed one run on eight hits and four walks and struck out six over seven innings.

Aquinas returns to state where it will face top-ranked Niceville in a Class 5A state semifinal on Thursday at either 2 or 4 at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood. The Raiders are seeking their first state title since 2014.

Region 4-4A final - American Heritage 9, Key West 0: Emma Griffith went 3 for 3 with a solo home run, and Kylie Diaz and Bria Villano also homered to lead the Patriots (22-2) to the lopsided victory at home. Heritage advances to the state semifinals where they will take on Seminole Osceola on Thursday at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood. Lyric Rodriguez pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and one walk and striking out five. The Patriots are seeking their ninth state title all-time and first since 2018.

Region 4-1A final - Miami Christian 6, Schoolhouse Prep 2: The Victors (16-8) advanced to state and will play Casselberry Geneva on Tuesday at either 2 of 4 in a state semifinal.

This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 9:36 AM.