SPRINGFIELD — There will be a new Bay County softball champion this year thanks to tournament semifinal victories Thursday by Bozeman and Mosley. The Dolphins knocked off defending champion North Bay Haven 4-0 in the first semifinal, with the Bucks edging past last year’s runner-up Arnold 6-5.
Mosley (6-9) and Bozeman (10-3) will face off for the county championship Friday night at 6 p.m. The Marlins dropped to 10-4 overall with their loss, while the Buccaneers fell to 10-5.
Mosley 4, NBH 0
Brianna Oudean and Bristol Lovrekovic combined for the shutout victory, as Oudean started and limited the Bucs to three hits with four strikeouts in five innings before giving way for the final two innings to Lovrekovic, who gave up four hits and a walk with two strikeouts. NBH ace Katie Walters took the loss, allowing four runs – one earned – on four hits and two walks with a hit batter and one strikeout.
Oudean also had a nice night at the plate for the Dolphins, going 2 for 4 with a triple, an RBI, and a run. Sabrina Whitmire was 1 for 2 with a run. Lakyn Carmichael led NBH with two hits. The first three innings moved along quickly, as both pitchers had an easy time with their first trip through the opposing batting order. Mosley finally broke through in the top of the fourth thanks to a lead-off triple to right field by Oudean, who scored moments later on an RBI groundout by Jessica Fuqua.
It was Oudean who sparked the Dolphins to another run in the sixth with an RBI single to left field to bring in Faith Lingenfelter following an NBH error to start the inning. The Bucs had a golden opportunity to strike back in the bottom of the sixth when infield hits by Carmichael and Freed and a walk for Kaytlin Bishop loaded the bases with two outs, but Lovrekovic got a huge strikeout of Trinity Sellers to end the threat.
Mosley tacked on a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh with the help of a pair of NBH errors to start the inning. A squeeze bunt by Cheyann Blackmon brought Elizabeth Hoewt home from third, with a bases loaded hit batter of Josie Williams later forcing in another run.
The Bucs attempted a two-out rally in the bottom of the inning with a pair of singles by Carmichael and Ally Lanford, but Lovrekovic struck out Freed to end the game.
Mosley 000 101 2 — 4 4 0
NBH 000 000 0 — 0 7 4
Oudean (W), Lovrekovic 6 (save) and Fuqua. Walters (L) and Lanford.
LOB: NBH 7, Mosley 6. E: Brock, Sellers, Freed, Carmichael. 3B: Oudean. Sac: Lanford, Carmichael. RBI: Mosley 3 (Oudean, Fuqua, Williams).
Bozeman 6, Arnold 5
Emily Hurst hit the go-ahead two-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning and finished 3 for 3 with four RBI to lift the Bucks to the victory and a spot in the title game. Abby Jo Batton got the victory in the circle, going all seven innings and giving up three earned runs on seven hits and two walks with eight strikeouts.
Pilar Egge took the loss for the Marlins, going six innings and surrendering three earned runs on 11 hits and three walks with a hit batter and four strikeouts. Ashley Troutman had a big night in defeat for Arnold, going 3 for 3 with a walk, a double, an RBI, and three runs, while Ashley Allgood also went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI. Courtney Boobyer was 2 for 3 with an RBI for Bozeman.
Troutman singled and scored on an RBI single by Allgood in the top of the first inning to give the Marlins the early lead, though the Bucks answered right back with three runs in their half, including a two-RBI double down the third base line by Hurst. Arnold scratched a run out in the third and tied it up 3-3 in the fourth thanks to an RBI groundout by Jillian Thompson. An RBI sacrifice fly to right field by Egge allowed Troutman to tag up and score easily from third to put Arnold in front 5-4 in the fifth.
After a one-out error allowed Batton to reach in the bottom of the fifth, Hurst came up and teased the Bozeman fans with two consecutive bombs to left field that just sailed foul over the fence. Hurst straightened up the next offering and crushed it well over the left field fence to put the Bucks up 5-4. An RBI single by Courtney Boobyer brought Brianna Harper in to give the Bucks an extra run for insurance.
Arnold got a run back in the sixth when Troutman scalded a pitch into the left centerfield gap for an RBI double to score Jada Arseneaux to trim the deficit to one. Allgood very nearly tied the game in the top of the seventh when she smoked a pitch deep to left field that hit right off of the top of the wall for a lead-off double.
The next play was a source of controversy in the Arnold dugout, as Egge hit a high fly ball to right field that resulted in Allgood tagging up from second and heading for third base. Bozeman contended that she left early and tagged second base and appealed to the field umpire, who initially ruled that she was safe. The home plate umpire overruled the call, however, and called Allgood out. Batton then got Erin Ramsey to ground out for the final out of the game.
Arnold 101 111 0 — 5 7 2
Bozeman 300 030 X — 6 9 3
Egge (L) and Flaat. Batton (W) and Hurst.
LOB: Bozeman 9, Arnold 6. E: Hurst, Batton, Tiller, Egge, Troutman. HR: Hurst. 2B: Troutman, Allgood, Hurst. Sac: Batton, Egge. RBI: Bozeman 5 (Hurst 4, Boobyer), Arnold 4 (Troutman, Allgood, Egge, Thompson).