WESTLAKE — Next girl up.
That's the approach the Wellington High softball team is taking now that junior catcher Kaylee Riles, one of the team's leading hitters, is likely lost for the season with a shoulder injury.
Riles' backup, senior Ava Matrascia, had two hits and drove in three runs Tuesday night to lead the Wolverines to a 5-1 win over Seminole Ridge in a tuneup for next week's playoffs. Both teams will be the No. 1 seeds in their district tournaments, Wellington (17-2) in 12-7A and Seminole Ridge (14-7) in 12-6A.
Junior right-hander Tori Payne pitched a four-hitter and struck out 11 for the Wolverines. She also had a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a walk and scoring two runs.
Wellington coach Mark Boretti acknowledges that Riles (.395, three HRs, nine extra-base hits) will be tough to replace. She injured the shoulder in a victory over Viera on April 13 and was wearing a sling in the dugout Tuesday night.
"Right now, it doesn't look like she's going to be able to get back for us," Boretti said.
But that doesn't mean the Wolverines have revised their goals. They made it to the state Class 7A final four last year, losing to Tampa-Plant 2-1 in eight innings in the semifinals, and have every intention of getting back to Clermont this season.
"And winning it all," Payne said.
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To do that, they'll need to get contributions from everyone, much as they did against the Hawks. Leadoff hitter D'Yami Meredith reached base three times and scored twice. No. 3 hitter Erynn Lowe had a double and a sacrifice fly. The bottom three hitters in the lineup combined for five hits. Payne committed the Wolverines' only error — and that was canceled out by a double play later in the inning.
While Matrascia hadn't been catching much until Riles' injury, she has been one of the team's most consistent hitters, usually from the designated player spot. She ranks third among regulars in batting average (.366) and RBIs (13).
"Ava's come through for us a few times now," Boretti said. "When we beat Western (2-0), Ava had a home run; when we beat Viera (3-0), she had a two-run base hit up there; and she was big again tonight. It's a team effort, for sure. It's always somebody else."
Except on the mound. Payne, who took over the role of No. 1 starter this season, has lived up to Boretti's nickname of "Bulldog." She's 14-1 with a 1.18 ERA and 128 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings.
On Tuesday night, she gave up a single and a double to the first two batters, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead. She retired the next 10 batters, five by strikeouts, and finished off her complete game with two more strikeouts.
"After realizing what the Seminole Ridge lineup could do, I definitely started to settle in, started hitting my spots and went from there," Payne said.
After one more regular-season game, at home Friday against Miami-Dade power Doral Academy, the Wolverines open district tournament play against the Palm Beach Central-John I. Leonard winner. A championship game matchup against Palm Beach Gardens or Jupiter is likely to follow.
"Our district is the most difficult in the region," Boretti said. "It's going to be a battle in districts."
For Seminole Ridge, the loss extended a 20-year drought against Wellington. The Hawks haven't beaten the Wolverines since the school opened in 2005, coming closest in a 1-1 tie last season.
Nevertheless, the game was a good building block, coach Candace Navarro said.
"We've played some close games with them the past couple of seasons," she said. "We're working hard at building this program, trying to make a name for ourselves. ... I'm thrilled with how we're playing. We've been able to pass the bat along, we've got great teammates, we've got great senior leadership. When we're healthy, we've got all the pieces."
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Next girl up: Wellington softball undeterred after losing top junior catcher to injury
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