Two Palm Beach County softball teams punched their tickets to next week’s state tournament with wins Tuesday.
Two more have a chance to follow them there.
Wellington will play for a Class 8A regional championship Friday night. (Photo provided)
Jupiter and Wellington both won their regional semifinal contests Tuesday, with the Warriors defeating Park Vista 4-1 in Class 9A, and the Wolverines edging Lakeland-George Jenkins 1-0 in Class 8A.
Jupiter will host Parkland-Douglas tonight for a berth in the state semifinals, while Wellington will host Winter Park-Lake Howell.
The winners advance to next week’s state tournament at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach.
Below is our preview. Both games start at 7:30 p.m.
Class 9A
Parkland-Douglas (23-5) at Jupiter (25-3): The Warriors make their second straight appearance in the regional finals, and will face a strong Broward County team for the second year in a row. Jupiter, which lost 2-1 to Davie-Western on the road last year, gets a home game against the surging Eagles. Douglas has won six of its last seven games, with its one loss coming to perennial power Fort Lauderdale-St. Thomas Aquinas. The Warriors have gotten stellar pitching from senior Ally Costa and timely hitting in their two regional wins, and will need to be sharp again. Like last year, this game could go down to the wire.
Prediction: Jupiter 2-1
Class 8A
Winter Park-Lake Howell (19-9) at Wellington (20-7): The Wolverines have gotten outstanding pitching in their two regional wins, allowing just one run combined. Kate DeSimone and Katie Schmidt teamed to shut out Lakeland-George Jenkins Tuesday in the regional semifinals, and will need to be equally as effective against the Silver Hawks, who know how to win close games. Lake Howell, a regional finalist last year, won six of their past seven contests, with four of those wins coming by just one run. The Wolverines also have gotten big hits at key times during the postseason, and have a deep lineup. Expect a battle.
Prediction: Wellington 3-2
