Two area teams remain in state championship contention after winning second-round regional games Tuesday.
Jupiter defeated Park Vista 4-0 in a Class 9A regional semifinal, and will play Davie-Western tonight with a state tournament berth on the line.
Grandview Prep shut out Lake Worth Christian 12-0 in a Class 2A regional championship game, and earned a berth in the state semifinals next week in Vero Beach.
Rachel Frankhouser and Jupiter will play Davie-Western tonight in a Class 9A regional softball championship game. The winner advances to the state semifinals in Vero Beach next week. (Photo by Daniel Owen)
Here’s our preview of tonight’s regional championship game between the Warriors and Wildcats. We’ll preview the Pride’s game against Mount Dora Christian on Tuesday.
Class 9A
Jupiter (25-3) at Davie-Western (22-5), 7 p.m.: The Warriors and pitcher Ally Costa continued their strong postseason run Tuesday with a 4-0 shutout of Park Vista, but face a tough test against the Wildcats. Western, ranked No. 5 in the state, has won seven straight games, and 11 of its past 12. Pitcher Sydney Bates, a senior, has been dominant this season for the Wildcats. She threw a one-hitter Tuesday and struck out 16 in Western’s 3-1 win over Coconut Creek-Monarch in the regional semifinals. She is 19-3 overall, with 256 strikeouts. Bates will be countered on the mound by Costa, a junior who improved to 23-3 with the Warriors’ win over the Cobras. Costa also has played a key role for Jupiter at the plate, batting .365 through 22 games. She is among five Jupiter players batting .344 or over, with infielder Rachel Frankhouser leading the way at .409. The Warriors hit well, throw well and are tremendous defensively. This one will be close.
Prediction: Jupiter 2-1
