'She was just pitching her game:' This GHS freshman piles up strikeouts in no-hit performance

Gainesville High School softball pitcher Leanna Bourdage has drawn attention from all sides this season, including Florida coach Tim Walton.

But, the freshman saved her best performance of the season for the biggest moment.

Bourdage tossed a complete game no hitter with 18 strikeouts to lift the Hurricanes to a 4-0 win over Middleburg in the Class 5A-District 2 title game.

"She was just pitching her game. Stayed in the strike zone most of the time," GHS coach Chris Chronister said. "On the strikeouts, they weren't making a lot of contact."

The feat holds even more weight given that the Broncos rank ninth in the latest FHSAA rankings and top 5A.

This was their first shutout of the season and just the second time in 25 games they've been held under three runs.

Chronister believed Bourdage caught the Broncos off guard, given that the two didn't play each other this season.

"When you go up against a good pitcher, you try to figure out what the best approach is, and fortunately for us, they were not able to make any successful adjustments, he said."

GHS also benefited from a two-run home run from Braylin Cook. It was the junior's 11th home run of the season (13th in Florida), and her 38th and 39th RBIs (30th in Florida).

The 18 Ks also bolted Bourdage to exactly 200 strikeouts for the season. Entering Thursday's game, she ranked 28th in Florida and 4th in 5A. Her ERA lowered to 0.55, 15th best in Florida and 2nd in 5A.

She places in the top 30 in Florida in no hitters (three) and wins (14). At the plate, she's top 20 in 5A in home runs and runs scored.

Her wins, ERA and Ks stat line put her in the top four among freshman in the state.

"When she's on her game, she's going to be a tough matchup for anyone in the state," Chronister said. "When that happens and we play good defense, I think we can compete with anyone in the state."

Bourdage has joined a laundry list of excellent 'Cane hurlers. That includes Chronister's daughter and eventual Gator Katie , and current James Madison senior Alissa Humphrey .

"She was a very confident and successful pitcher coming in, and I don't see that changing anytime soon," Chronister said.

The district title is GHS' first in two years. It projects to be a No. 3 or 4 seed in Region 1 of Class 5A. Regionals begin Thursday.

The 'Canes last advanced to the final four in 2015 , when Chronister and Co. won the program's only state title.

Other local baseball and softball district final results

Baseball

1A-District 6: Lafayette 2-1 over Union County

1A-District 7: Newberry 7-6 over Chiefland

1A-District 8: Williston 6-4 over Glades Day

2A-District 4: Oak Hall 12-8 over St. Francis Catholic

3A-District 4: Trinity Catholic 5-3 over Keystone Heights

4A-District 4: Santa Fe 14-3 over Menendez

5A-District 2: Lincoln 2-0 over Columbia

6A-District 3: Fleming Island at Buchholz moved to Friday at 7 p.m. due to weather.

Softball

1A-District 6: Branford 3-1 over Fort White

1A-District 7: Trenton 10-0 over Chiefland

1A-District 8: Williston 16-1 over Hawthorne

2A-District 4: Countryside Christian 11-10 over Father Lopez

3A-District 2: Suwannee 4-1 over Florida High

3A-District 3: Palatka 12-7 over Keystone Heights

3A-District 5: Santa Fe 5-0 over Trinity Catholic

5A-District 2: GHS 4-0 over Middleburg

Noah Ram covers Gainesville-area high school sports and University of Florida athletics for The Gainesville Sun. Contact him at Nram@gannett.com and follow him @Noah_ram1 on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: 'She was just pitching her game:' This GHS freshman piles up strikeouts in no-hit performance