Matt Rothman
For the fifth straight season, Coral Springs Charter Softball will be going for a State Championship following a 6-1 win over Hernando Thursday morning.
Behind First-Team All-County and 6A-2A softball pitcher of the Year, Freshman Brianna Godfrey got the start for the Panthers and pitched five innings allowing an unearned run on two hits while striking out seven to improve their record to 15-0.
“I came into the game a little nervous, but as the game went on, I settled in. I’m so thankful that I had “Tati”, my catcher, behind the plate because without her I probably wouldn’t get half the calls I got,” said Godfrey. “I just want to give it my best shot and, the good lord willing, things will work out.”
Offensively, Cassidy Crump led the way with two RBI’s including a double. Bridget Dunham also contributed an RBI hit, as CSC used aggressive base running and a steal of home to get a run. They also scored another one after an obstruction call. In total, the Panthers stole five bases with Kiara Meikle swiping two to lead the team.
After Godfrey exited after five innings, Alina Varga took over on the hill and struck out five batters in her two innings.
Even more impressive was the Panthers winning this game without their head coach. Mark Montimurro was unable to travel with the team due to a heart issue, and assistant coach Paul Gorlick along with varsity baseball coach Charlie Fine led CSC to a win.
“We are doing this all for Coach Mark,” said Gorlick. “We hope he is feeling better and doing better. Marc gave us a scouting report and what we should do, and we followed his lead.”
Up next, the Panthers will play the Marianna Bulldogs in the championship game. The Bulldogs won 6-1 in their semi-final game over Hardee. They currently have 27-1-1 records this will be the fourth different opponent in the championship for the Panthers in the last five years. CSC recently beat West Nassau twice, Eustis, and Bayshore in the finals and will look to add Marianna to the list Friday 10:05 a.m. in Vero Beach at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex.
They will also tie Bartow with a win as the only two teams in the state of Florida to win five consecutive softball titles.
Author Profile
- Matt Rothman is a 2018 graduate from Florida Gulf Coast University receiving his bachelor’s degree in journalism and then graduated from the University of Florida as a graduate student. He also works for the Mohave Valley Daily News in Bullhead City, Arizona covering high school sports.
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