FPC softball team's perfect record halted by Spruce Creek

The Bulldogs suffered their first defeat of the season after winning their first 11 games.

  • By Michele Meyers
  • | 8:32 a.m. April 6, 2023
  • Palm Coast Observer
  • Sports
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Spruce Creek pierced the Flagler Palm Coast girls softball team's perfect 11-0 record with a 8-1 win at the Hawks' field on Thursday, March 30.

FPC assistant coach David Vigo said the Bulldogs made a few adjustments prior to the game to offset Creek’s hard-hitting batters. The coaches decided to change the pitching speed by having first baseman Madison Cercy step in as the starting pitcher. Freshman Sanai Figueredo played first.

“It sucks to lose,” Vigo said. “But I will say this, we know that had we played our game, we would have been in a much different place. We hit the ball — we had seven hits — they had six and we had five errors; they didn’t have any.  Those are mistakes we can fix and we can clean up. They were better than us today based on that. I want a second chance because I know our girls can play better. They believe they can play better than they did tonight.”

The Bulldogs followed the loss with wins over Seabreeze (22-2) and Mainland (10-0) to improve to 13-1.

Shortstop Bailey Holmes brought in the lone run against the Hawks in the third inning. Creek scored five runs in the first inning and three in the third. Julie Kelley pitched seven innings for Spruce Creek allowing seven hits, one run and striking out 15.

Nothing drops on my field. That’s my motto. Like, I’m getting everything. I’m diving into fences. I’m diving over the fence. I don’t care where it is. The loss sucks but we’re going to come back the next time we play them. They better be ready. We have a fire under our bottoms. - Aun'Yale Howard, FPC left fielder

The Bulldogs made mistakes they hadn’t made all year, Vigo said.

“We had the full spectrum (of mistakes) — someone that’s just stepping in and someone that’s been there before,” Vigo said. “So what does that teach us? We are not flawless. We are flawed individuals. We got to do our best to keep those flaws off the field.”

Spruce Creek (7-4) has lost to two highly ranked teams  — Providence School of Jacksonville (ranked 15th among all Florida teams by MaxPreps) and Oviedo Hagerty (ranked 37th).

FPC is ranked 59th overall, eight spots behind Spruce Creek, as of April 3. 

“I don’t think it was so much the pressure of facing Spruce Creek,” Vigo said of the loss. “The pressure was what they put on themselves. They believed that this was the year that they had the skill and the talent to beat them.”

After making a stunning, fence-smashing catch in left field, Aun’Yale Howard is undeterred by the loss.

“Nothing drops on my field,” she said. “That’s my motto. Like, I’m getting everything. I’m diving into fences. I’m diving over the fence. I don’t care where it is. The loss sucks, but we’re going to come back the next time we play them. They better be ready. We have a fire under our bottoms.”

The two teams could face each other again in the district tournament May 1-4.

 

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