BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Bradford High School’s softball team was looking to win for the fourth time in five games, but the Tornadoes dropped their regular-season finale against the 11th-ranked team in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Class 4A power poll, losing 7-0 to host Baker County on April 27.
The 3A Tornadoes (8-10) managed just four hits against pitchers Rylee Walker and Chloe Woods. Amber Wynn had two of those in her three at-bats.
Bradford entered the game off a 16-7, six-inning win over visiting Bishop Snyder on April 25.
It was a 3-2 game in favor of the visitors until the Tornadoes scored three runs in the second. Kegan Yowell reached on an error, stole second and advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Wynn. After Blakeleigh Smith was hit by a pitch, a run scored on Tinsley Higginbotham ground out. Rylie Blankenship them hit an RBI single, stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on a Takeirra Bakken single.
The Tornadoes had big fourth and sixth innings, scoring five runs in each.
Higginbotham hit a single that drove in Wynn, who singled, and Smith, who walked, to get the scoring started in the fourth. Blankenship singled and advanced to second on an error, with Higginbotham scoring on the throw. Bakken, who went 2 for 2, then hit a two-run homer to put Bradford up 10-3.
In the sixth, Blankenship, who went 2 for 3 with two RBI, and Bakken walked before scoring on a Masey Padgett single. Kallie Yowell followed with another RBI single before Madison Highland hit a run-scoring double. After an error allowed another run to score, Higginbotham collected her fourth RBI on a bases-loaded walk.
