BY CLIFF SMELLEY
College of Central Florida softball players Leah Clark, a freshman infielder, and Emma Rogel, a sophomore catcher, were announced as first-team All-Citrus Conference selections.
Clark, a 2023 Union County High School graduate, is batting .429, which ranks her third on the Central Florida team. She leads the Patriots in RBI (72), home runs (15), triples (8), slugging percentage (.832), runs scored (80) and walks (29). Clark is also second in doubles (13), on-base percentage (.547) and stolen bases (43).
Rogel, a 2022 Keystone Heights High School graduate, is batting .374, which is sixth on the team. She’s third in RBI (38) and walks (19) and fourth in runs scored (43). Rogel is fifth in doubles (8) and on-base percentage (.456).
The two players have had big moments in the Patriots’ last five games.
Clark hit a two-run homer in a 9-0 win over visiting Miami Dade on April 20, while Rogel hit a two-run double in an 11-1 win at St. Petersburg on April 23.
In a second game against St. Petersburg on April 23, Clark and Rogel combined for six RBI in an 8-1 win. Clark, who went 2 for 4 with five RBI, hit a two-run and three-run homers. Rogel went 2 for 4 and drove in one of the Patriots’ two runs in the seventh inning.
Central Florida hosted a double-header against Indian River on April 27, with Clark going 2 for 3 with two RBI in the first game, a 7-2 win. She hit an RBI double in the first inning for the game’s first run and had an RBI triple in the fifth to put the Patriots up 6-0.
Clark and Rogel combined to go 4 for 6 with four RBI in a 6-5 win in the second game against Indian River.
Clark, who had three RBI, hit a solo homer in the first for the game’s first run, while Rogel drove in the game’s second run with a double in the second.
The Patriots trailed 5-3 entering the bottom of the fifth, but Clark tied the score with a two-run double. One of the runners who scored was Rogel, who led off the inning with a single.
