HYL 12U Softball Team Wins State Title

Brandon Garcia believes the identity of his softball team is that it doesn’t give up, never laying down against an opponent.

On June 30 in the Florida Babe Ruth Softball State Championships final, the Hernando Youth League 12U All-Stars proved their head coach correct. Trailing 6-0 against Santa Fe in the bottom of the third inning, HYL rallied for a combined nine runs over the next two frames and hung on for a 9-8 victory.

“That championship game is a perfect example of that,” Garcia said. “You’ll see many teams pretty much just go through the motions and lay there and give up on it. My girls are going to fight. They’re gritty.

“We do all the small things right to make sure that we’re moving the baton along to the next girl and we’re holding that next girl accountable to fall in line and move this thing forward. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve had to play quick small ball just to get a runner on base and the understanding that ultimately it’s not about them. It’s about the team and staying positive.”

According to Garcia, seven of the girls on the HYL team played together in the fall and spring, going a combined 27-0. Based on those results, the all-star squad garnered a spot at states at Southside Sports Complex in Lake City. At the state tournament, HYL continued to go undefeated with a 4-0-1 mark.

“I think it’s a culture we’ve implemented starting from my coaching staff to the players,” Garcia said. “It’s no babying. It’s very old school mentality. We’re pushing these girls as hard as they possibly can be pushed. We’re teaching them that there’s an importance in being united and holding each other accountable.

“Embracing that struggle, that pain, the blood, the sweat, the tears. It’s all part of the process and really having them buy into that process. And genuinely they all get along. It’s very rare that you get a group of 12 girls that just genuinely like each other and enjoy each other’s presence and are willing to play for one another and essentially will even run through a brick wall for one another.”

After starting off its state slate with a 5-3 win over Columbia on June 27, HYL squared off with Santa Fe for the first time on June 28. Santa Fe scored seven runs in the second inning, but HYL came back with five in the fourth with Brianna Caraway singling one home run and Brooke Bager adding a RBI double. Faith Cudo also drove in one on a groundout and an error allowed two more to come across.

In the fifth, Sarah Blackburn reached on an error and eventually scored on a wild pitch. Caraway singled and would end up as the game-tying run when she came in on a passed ball. Due to the rules of the pool play portion of the tournament, the game was ended after five innings were complete.

“Being down seven runs on the second day for the state tournament and not giving up, and still having that energy and still holding each other accountable and still lifting each other’s spirits up,” Garcia said. “That really just tells you the type of team we are. Coincidentally that’s the same team we end up playing in the championship and we ended up getting the best of them that day, a great team, great coached team. It’s really just a testament to these girls.”

HYL pounded Mount Dora 11-0 the following day in the first round of bracket play. In the morning of June 30, HYL faced Mandarin Sports Association (MSA) out of Jacksonville in a semifinal and won 5-2.

Then came the rematch that afternoon. A five-run third inning was spurred by RBI singles from Nicalette Durrum and Blackburn, and a three-run triple off the bat of Cudo. Makenzy McClelland drew a bases-loaded walk in the fourth, followed by another RBI single from Durrum and a two-run error to make it 9-6 in favor of HYL.

Caraway and Durrum tied for the team lead in hitting, both with a .400 average. They’re followed by Emily Bradford at .385 and Cudo at .308. Blackburn and Bradford split pitching duties and have combined for 30 strikeouts.

Next up is the World Series, starting July 23 in Florence, Alabama. Two key players will be unavailable, including Bradford and Durrum, leaving the team without one of its top pitchers and its leadoff hitter.

“This is what we’ve been working for all year,” Garcia said. “Yeah, it bothers us that two of our family members won’t be with us out there. But there’s still two girls that are taking their spots who are both a hell of a ballplayer. They’re going to fit right in.

“That’s really just the mentality that we have here, next girl up. It’s about the team. It’s never about me, it’s never about them. It’s always about us, about we; what we’re going to be able to do. So our expectation is to go out there and compete for a World Series.”