Telegraph Staff Writer
Four players drove in a run each as part of a six-run fourth inning as the Bradford High School softball defeated host Orange Park 8-3 on April 4.
With one out in the fourth, Hannah McFarland drew a walk and then scored on a Masey Padgett double. Padgett then scored on a Takeirra Bakken triple, while Bakken scored on a Cassidy Spratlin single. Amber Wynn walked before a ground out resulted in the Tornadoes’ second out. Rylie Blankenship drove in a run on a single before an error allowed another two to score.
Spratlin went 2 for 2 with three RBI, while Padgett went 2 for 3 with an RBI. Bakken and Blankenship each went 2 for 4 with an RBI.
Bakken’s fourth-inning hit was one of two triples hit by Bradford, with McFarland hitting the other.
Spratlin earned the win, giving up eight hits through 6.1 innings. Blankenship entered the game to face the final two batters in the seventh, forcing both to ground out.
The Tornadoes (7-4) entered the game off a 6-5 loss to visiting Williston on March 30.
Williston hit back-to-back homers to score three runs in the top of the third and go up 5-1.
Bradford, which failed to score after loading the bases with one out in the fourth, hit back-to-back solo home runs as part of a three-run fifth that made the score 6-4. Padgett and Bakken each launched a long ball over the fence in left. Then, after Spratlin and Kiersten Hodges walked, Wynn hit an RBI single.
With one out in the bottom of the sixth, Allie Funderburk walked, followed by Taylor Reddish hitting a single. One out later, Padgett hit an RBI single. A fly out then ended the inning.
Bakken and Padgett went 3 for 4 and 2 for 4, respectively, driving in two runs each.
The Tornadoes play two straight home games, hosting Suwannee on Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m. and then Buchholz on Friday, April 8, at 7 p.m. Bradford travels to play Keystone Heights on Monday, April 11, at 6 p.m. before then traveling to play Lake Weir on Tuesday, April 12, at 7 p.m.
