Lessons learned: Wellington falls to Doral Academy, but Wolverines have bigger plans

WELLINGTON – In winning, there is celebration, but in losing, there is opportunity.

Wellington softball faced a University of Central Florida commit on the mound in Friday's regular season finale.

And a Clemon commit at third base. And a shortstop that played for a U15 national team.

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And the result was Wellington (17-3) getting a little taste of what they themselves have been dishing out all season.

Doral Academy, ranked No. 2 in the state across all classifications, has earned its reputation.

So has Yessenia Lopez, who the Wolverines struggled to figure out across seven innings in a 5-1 loss.

It's not often Wellington's bats go quiet.

But again, opportunity.

On the surface, veteran head coach Mark Boretti will take a loss now over a loss a week from now.

It's also a reminder that no team is infallible, no matter how many wins a team has racked up – and the ability to see those arms and those bats, the best of what’s out there, is the way Boretti wants to prepare his team for the cherished postseason run.

“The whole month of April was like that,” he said. Trying to play teams like Western, Doral, we had South Fork. We went up to Melbourne and played a couple of teams up there, just to see the better pitching and see where you stand.”

“We know we’re good,” he continued. "There are so many teams in this region that are good, but that team that we just played against, that possibly is the best team in the state.”

Five Division I commitments will agree with that statement, though Wellington still battled back to score a run in the final inning, the grit drawing the hint of a smile on Boretti’s face.

For Wellington, the regular season has officially ended.

The real season – where the work to this point either pays off or doesn’t – begins now.

“The way it’s set up, we’re guaranteed three games,” Boretti said. “Because of our ranking, we’re not going to drop out of the eight teams in the region. So now there’s your three games. So, do we want to play three, four, five, six, or seven?”

“Seven is a state championship game,” he continued. “And that’s what we’re playing for.”