BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Keystone Heights High School’s softball team fell behind 9-1 in a 12-7 loss to second seed Palatka in the championship game of the District 3-3A tournament, which was played May 2 in Palatka.
The top seed Indians (12-12) were able to make it a four-run game with a three-run fifth, but could never overtake the Panthers (12-15), who earned the automatic berth in the Region 1 playoffs, which begin Wednesday, May 8. Keystone now waits to see if it earns an at-large berth.
Palatka took advantage of two walks, a single, a ground out and a wild pitch to take a 2-0 lead in the top of the first.
Ashley Nugent hit a two-out double for the Indians in the bottom of the first. She stole second and scored when the Panthers committed an error on a ground ball hit by Kadence Massey.
The Panthers scored six runs in the second, which began with back-to-back home runs by Emily Brown and Emma Knighten. After Molly Allbritton walked and Hannah Faulkner doubled, Zophia Clark hit a two-run single. Haleigh Faulkner hit into a fielder’s choice, which scored another run. Brown came up to bat again and hit a two-run double to put Palatka up 8-1.
Haleigh Faulkner hit an RBI double in the third to increase the Panthers’ lead to 9-1.
Riley Shuford reached on an error to lead off the Indians’ half of the third. Back-to-back one-out singles from Alaina Kinsall and Nugent loaded the bases. A Massey sacrifice fly scored Shuford.
The bottom of the fifth began with an Abbie Roach single, followed by a Kinsall walk. Two outs later, Amber Wagner walked to load the bases. Roach scored on a wild pitch before Nattallie Glinski walked, loading the bases again. Delia Johnson hit a double that plated two runs and made it a 9-5 game. The inning ended on a ground out.
Palatka increased its lead to six in the sixth. Abigail Huerta tripled, followed by a single from Brown. With two outs, Huerta scored when the Indians committed an error on a pickoff attempt. Brown scored on a Whitney Seebacher single.
Roach, who went 2 for 4, singled with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Nugent, who went 3 for 4, then drove a 2-2 pitch over the fence in left for a two-out, two-run homer, making the score 11-7.
Palatka’s Hannah Faulkner was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the seventh. She scored on an error, giving the Panthers their final run.
Keystone failed to put a runner on base in the bottom of the seventh, striking out once and hitting into two ground-ball outs.
Massey, who relieved starting pitcher Caitlin Frampton, struck out nine in the losing effort.
