x
Breaking News
More () »

Baldwin softball edges Keystone Heights in championship, punches first ever ticket to state finals

Senior Piper Young pitched a complete game and launched a two-run homerun for the Indians.

BALDWIN, Florida — Every onomatopoeia in the book was whizzing around Baldwin's softball field Thursday night. 

But, when Indians pitcher Piper Young blasted a ball deep down the left field line in the fourth inning, the entire field, including the truck row lining the outfield wall, watched anxiously to see if the potential go-ahead run would stay fair. 

It did. Much to the surprise of the Indians senior. 

"I thought it was going to be a pop fly, or I thought it was going to go foul. I heard it hit the golf cart coming around first, and it lit me up I was so excited," Young said. 

The two-run homer helped pace Baldwin to a 3-2 win over Keystone Heights in the 3A region championship. It's the first trip to the state final four in program history. Given the size of the crowd, you didn't have to tell anyone in town how big this game was.

"This is amazing I've never experienced a baseball or softball crowd like this. I just want to give a shoutout to our students they showed up huge our baseball players our football players came over right after their game," head coach, Jennifer Shields, said.

"I feel like it's setting in now at the beginning of the game my mind was more just get the win, but now that I got it I'm really realizing that we're doing something big here. All of us, we're all a part of it and we're really pulling together and changing something here at this school," Young said. 

Before You Leave, Check This Out