Spanish River softball shocks Lake Brantley, 13-9, in 7A state semifinal
CLERMONT, FLORIDA – Lake Brantley pitchers have had all the right stuff for most of the 2023 softball season. At least until they ran into the Spanish River Sharks.
Spanish River, the No. 7 seed out of Region 4, scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning and held on for a shocking, 13-9, upset of Lake Brantley (24-4) in a Class 7A state semifinal on Friday night at Legends Way Ball Fields. The Patriots had entered the game ranked No. 1 in all classes in the FHSAA Power Rankings.
Seven Spanish River players accounted for a whopping 12 hits against the Patriots, who had entered the game with an eight-game win streak, including six straight shutouts. But the Sharks (16-8-1) needed every hit they could muster against Lake Brantley, who came within an out of victory in the seventh inning.
The Patriots held a 9-7 lead with two outs in the top of the seventh inning before Spanish River scored twice to tie it at 9-9. The game then went into extra innings, where the Sharks exploded for four runs to put the game away.
With the victory, Spanish River advanced to its first-ever state championship game. The Sharks will take on Tampa Plant for the title Saturday at 3 p.m.
“It was definitely a back-and-forth affair, to say the least,” said Lake Brantley coach Jacob Stanley, whose team advanced to the Final Four for the second straight season. “Hat’s off to Spanish River. They executed when they had to, and put a lot of pressure on our defense.
Spanish River pitcher Giselle Portanova went eight innings to help the Sharks defeat Lake Brantley and advance to their first state final.
“I thought we were uncharacteristically sloppy on defense, with seven or eight errors,” Stanley said. “Whether that was nerves or not, who knows?”
The nail-biting finish didn’t surprise Spanish River pitcher Giselle Portanova, though.
“Before the game even started, I knew the game was going to be close,” said Portanova, who scattered six hits and allowed nine runs, while walking 12 and striking out five in a complete-game victory. “Looking at everything from the start, we shouldn’t even be here after losing our first game at district. But, since we got a second chance, we worked our butts off to get to where we are.
“We’ve been in many situations like the one (Friday),” Portanova said. “The amount of extra-inning games we’ve played this year is unimaginable and I knew we could do it. The umpires really didn’t work in our favor the whole game, but we didn’t let that stop us from winning.”
Spanish River showed it meant business when it scored four runs in the top of the first inning, chasing starter Lauren Compton. Portanova stole home, Isabella Santos hit an RBI-single to score Sophia Camacho, Santos then scored on an error, and Alaina George scored on a bases-loaded walk.
Lake Brantley bounced back in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs. Bristin Bordeau crushed a two-run double, and Kayla Morris ripped an RBI-double.
After Spanish River added a run in the third to go up 5-3, Lake Brantley scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to take its first lead, 6-5.
Gabriella Mike scored on an error, and Auriana Turner hit a two-RBI single for the Patriots. Lake Brantley added a run in the fifth inning to go ahead, 7-5.
Both schools then scored twice in the sixth, leaving the Patriots with a 9-7 lead heading into the seventh. Mike, who came on in relief of Compton in the first inning, had Spanish River on the ropes until Camacho singled in Abygail Gonzalez, and Santos doubled in Camacho to tie the game at 9-9.
The wheels then fell off for Lake Brantley in the eighth inning when Emma Iovene singled in George, Portanova singled in Julia Massarella, and Camacho ripped a two-RBI single for the Sharks.
“Going into the eighth, I felt pretty confident,” Portanova said. “Us being up by four runs really made it easier for me going into the inning and I wouldn’t want it any other way.
“I’m extremely proud of how far we’ve made it, and we aren’t done, yet,” Portanova said.
Santos and Iovene led Spanish River at the plate with three hits each, and Camacho had two hits, two runs scored three RBI.
Morris went 2-for-4 with two RBI, Cate Conway scored three runs, and Kiley Strott crushed a home run and had one run scored and two RBI to lead Lake Brantley.
