- April 19, 2024
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Bulldog Hannah Kurek bats as Spruce Creek's Isabella Caruso catches in the Thursday, Mar. 30 season game. Photo by Michele Meyers
Bulldog Hannah Kurek avoids a high pitch as Spruce Creek's Isabella Caruso catches in the Thursday, Mar. 30 season game. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC softball coach David Vigo says some encouraging words after team's first loss to Spruce Creek. Photo by Michele. Meyers
FPC coaches talk to the team after their first season loss against Spruce Creek. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek pitcher Julie Kelley steps away from the plate as she bats in the game against FPC. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC pitcher Alexis Laura talks to her coach Yessy Paneto after hitting a single in the game against Spruce Creek. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek pitcher Julie Kelley struck out 15 in the 8-1 win against FPC. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC batter Bailey Holmes and Spruce Creek catcher Isabella Caruso. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC pitcher Alexis Laura. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek batter Aubrey Yeary laughs at a teammate before she steps in the batters box. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC pitcher Madison Cercy. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC Bulldogs celebrate an out against the Spruce Creek Hawks. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC catcher Sadie Schell and Spruce Creek batter Jordyn Andersen. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC catcher Sadie Schell snags a foul ball in the game against Spruce Creek. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC's Aun'Yale Howard gets some advice from coach Yessy Paneto in a game against Spruce Creek on March 30. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC pitcher Alexis Laura launches one toward home plate against the Spruce Creek Hawks. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC softball coach Yessy Paneto talks to the team after the game against Spruce Creek. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek catcher Isabella Caruso's teammates congratulate her after throwing the FPC runner out at first base. Photo by Michele Meyers
A Spruce Creek player warms up to bat in the game against the FPC Bulldogs. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC catcher Sadie Schell runs to catch the popup foul ball. Photo by Michele Meyers
Spruce Creek catcher Isabella Caruso throws the ball to second base during the game against the FPC Bulldogs. Photo by Michele Meyers
FPC's Alexis Laura is safe at third as third baseman Alexis Minaberry catches the ball. Photo by Michele Meyers
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.
