Stingray softball team advances to District Championship

The Atlantic Coast softball team eliminated the Flagler Palm Coast High School Bulldogs Tuesday night at The Reef, besting the district rival 4-2.
The Stingrays will go on to play the District Championship at Atlantic Coast on Thursday against the Creekside Knights with the first pitch at 7 p.m.
“The win last night was very exciting but also expected – our team has great potential and has a great bond,” said Morgan Brown, a sophomore and one of the team captains, adding that the win “really built our energy.”
Brown is excited about the matchup against Creekside, who the Stingrays beat 4-2 at home in early March.
“For our game tomorrow, I believe it’ll be a tough fight, but we can pull it off,” Brown said. “We have worked all season for this and it’s time to show who we are. I believe we will come together and work hard and come out on top and be ready going into regionals.”
On Tuesday night, the Stringrays rallied for two runs in the second inning against the Bulldogs and added another run in each of the fourth and fifth innings. Stingray pitcher Lily Maguire, a freshman, held the Bulldogs scoreless until Flagler Palm Coast scored two runs in the seventh. Maguire finished the inning with a strikeout (4) and a pop up to right field to end the game.
“It always feels like a rush being with my teammates and playing the game that I love,” second baseman Emma Cano, a junior, told Coastal Tides after the win. “It’s so fun, and I couldn’t imagine a better high school softball experience.”
Cano made three stellar defensive plays, including a full-body extension leap on a line drive to second base for the first out of the game, and went on to get two hits and knock in a run.
“Our team dynamic makes it so easy to play our game and get the job done but also have so much fun with each other at the same time,” Cano said. “I’m always so happy when I’m around the team.”
Stingray designated hitter Amia Hladik, the only senior on the team and one of its trusted sluggers, celebrated senior night and was hit by a pitch before leaving the game in the bottom of the second.
– Abbey Boatright is a second-string outfielder on the Stringray softball team