BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Madison Highland drove in four runs on two singles in a 12-run first inning as the third seed Bradford High School softball team had no trouble dispatching of sixth seed Crescent City in a 16-0, three-inning win in the quarterfinals of the District 3-3A tournament on April 29.
The Tornadoes (8-16) play second seed and tournament host Palatka (9-15) in a semifinal game on Tuesday, April 30, at 7 p.m.
Bradford’s big first inning began with Rylie Blankenship hitting a single and scoring on an Amber Wynn double. Addyson Hinds and Keegan Yowell were hit by pitches to load the bases for Highland, who hit the first of her two-run singles. After Summer Sutton was hit by a pitch, Kallie Yowell and Tinsley Higginbotham hit back-to-back RBI singles for a 5-0 lead.
The inning continued with Carly Beggs and Blankenship drawing consecutive bases-loaded walks to score two runs. Hinds drove in a run on a sacrifice fly before Keegan Yowell walked to load the bases. Highland stepped to the plate and delivered again with a single that plated two runs. Sutton followed with her own two-run single to complete the scoring in the first.
Higginbotham and Highland each went 2 for 2, while Sutton had two RBI.
Sutton Beggs, Blankenship, Higginbotham, Hinds, Wynn and Kallie Yowell all finished with one RBI each.
Keegan Yowell earned the win in the circle, giving up two hits.
Prior to the tournament, the Tornadoes went 0-2 in their final two regular-season games.
On April 23, Bradford lost 14-0 in five innings to visiting Suwannee. Sutton went 2 for 2, but the rest of the team was 2 for 17.
The Tornadoes traveled to Branford on April 25, losing 4-1.
It was a 4-0 game before Bradford scored its lone run in the fourth on a Beggs single with two outs.
Beggs, Blankenship and Wynn each went 2 for 3, while Keegan Yowell was 2 for 4.
Pitcher Bailey Smith gave up two earned runs in a complete-game effort.
