Palm Beach Gardens maintained the top spot in this week’s Post Top 10.
Allison Tilton and Suncoast held on to the No. 5 spot in this week’s Post Top 10. The Chargers edged No. 6 Spanish River 1-0 on Thursday. (Photo by Daniel Owen)
Despite dropping their first game of the season – the Gators fell 5-3 to unbeaten and No. 1-ranked Plantation-American Heritage in the Slamfest tournament in Miami over the weekend – Palm Beach Gardens heads into Week 7 as the No. 1 team in the area. The Gators won four games last week, including three in tournament play.
Park Vista moved up to No. 2 after homering four times in a win against Santaluces on Thursday, while Jupiter fell a spot to No. 3 after dropping its first two games of the season, both at Slamfest. Wellington jumped two spots to No. 4 after completing a 5-0 week and winning the Blue Division championship at Slamfest.
Suncoast held on to the No. 5 spot, while Spanish River, unbeaten American Heritage, Royal Palm Beach, West Boca Raton and newcomer Grandview Prep round out the top 10.
Softball Top 10 after Week 6
- Palm Beach Gardens (15-1): Gators host No. 3 Jupiter Tues.
- Park Vista (12-2): Cobras homer four times vs. Santaluces
- Jupiter (13-2): Warriors finish 2-2 at Slamfest
- Wellington (13-2): Blue Division champion at Slamfest
- Suncoast (10-3): Six straight shutouts for Chargers
- Spanish River (10-2): Sharks edged by Suncoast
- American Heritage (10-0): Outscored their last three opponents 46-0
- Royal Palm Beach (7-3): Three straight shutouts for Wildcats
- West Boca Raton (10-4): Bulls unbeaten in district
- Grandview Prep (3-1): Pride have won three in a row
Games of the Week:
No. 3 Jupiter (13-2) at No. 1 Palm Beach Gardens (15-1), 7 p.m. Tuesday: Postponed from earlier in the season because of weather, this key district contest matches a pair of longtime rivals. As usual when the Warriors and Gators play, expect a good one. Both teams were unbeaten until running into Plantation-American Heritage – the state’s top-ranked Class 6A team – over the weekend in Miami. Palm Beach Gardens has won with solid pitching, timely hitting and stingy defense. So has Jupiter. Gators starter Bailey Whalen, who signed with Northern Illinois, has been stellar. The senior is 6-1 with a 1.09 ERA and 56 strikeouts. She’s also batting .500, with five doubles and 15 RBIs. Jupiter’s Ally Costa has been equally as impressive. The junior pitched a perfect game March 4 against a 13-2 Lincoln Park Academy team, and continues to impress on the mound.
No. 8 Royal Palm Beach (7-3) at No. 4 Wellington (13-2), 7 p.m. Tuesday: The Wolverines have been on a roll since the middle of last month, and hope to continue their momentum against a streaking Wildcats team. Wellington won all four of its games in claiming the Blue Division championship at Slamfest over the weekend, while Royal Palm Beach has won three in a row, all by shutout. Junior righthander Jaime Tino has been superb on the mound for the Wildcats, while Brennan Cain has been just as good for the Wolverines. These teams met earlier in the season, with Wellington winning 9-1. Look for a tighter game this time around between the district rivals.
No. 2 Park Vista (12-2) vs. Rockledge (15-1) at Jupiter Spring Break Tournament, 6 p.m. Friday: The Cobras and Raiders have gotten off to fast starts this season, combining for 27 wins against just three losses. Both teams are state-ranked – Park Vista is No. 7 in the Class 9A poll, and Rockledge is No. 5 in 6A – and both have gotten tremendous starting pitching. The Cobras, led by righthander Jaime Scher (10-2, 0.45 ERA, 150 strikeouts), haven’t allowed more than three runs in a game all season; while the Raiders, with Molly McLaughlin on the mound, have shut out eight of their 16 opponents. Their only loss was a 5-4 setback to state-ranked Titusville-Astronaut. Expect a tight one here.
