NFMHS Red Knights advance to regionals
Slap hitters aren’t always about legging out hits.
North Fort Myers’ Sajarie Jones laced an inside-the-park home run last Thursday as the Red Knights clipped Mariner 4-3 in the District 6A-11 softball championship at North’s Bobbie Dewey Field.
The sophomore’s shot to center field also brought home Jessie Valerius as North came from behind for the victory.
With the win, North earns home field for Wednesday night’s regional quarterfinal playoff against Lely, which lost 10-0 to Barron Collier in the 6A-12 championship game.
The season continues for Mariner as well as the runner-up in 6A-11. The Tritons play at Barron Collier on Wednesday.
North (21-2) coach Tony Vodola’s team led 2-0 after four innings Thursday night, but the Tritons (21-7) grabbed a 3-2 advantage in the top of the fifth. Amanda Myers singled with one out and came all the way around to score on Hannah Holloway’s double. Myers came home on Abby Love’s single, and Love hustled all the way to third on the play. Madison James’ RBI groundout gave Mariner the 3-2 lead.
Back came the Red Knights in the bottom of the fifth. Valerius doubled with one out to set up Jones.
“We do what we have to do in times like that,” Jones said. “All of us came here with the mentality that we weren’t going to lose, and we weren’t going to leave here without that title.”
Normally using a slap-hitter’s style to leg out grounders, Jones showed she could also drive the ball deep when needed.
Vodola, coaching along the third-base line, said he and Jones looked at each other and gave each other the same signal. It was to swing away.
“She’s flashing the sign at me and I’m saying the same thing,” Vodola said. “We were on the same page. We have signs based on where the defense sets up as to where the ball should go. She put the ball where we both thought it should go.”
“I told him let me swing,” Jones said. “That’s what he did and she gave me the pitch that I needed. I was looking for a pitch that I could take that way, and it just happened that she threw it there.”
Jones’ shot went past a drawn-in center fielder and rolled to the fence.
Jones was 3-for-3 in the game with the two-run, inside-the-park homer, two stolen bases and two runs scored.
“She was determined tonight,” Vodola said. “She said before the game she was going to make a difference. You know what? She did.”
Mariner, which lost both regular-season games to North, was dejected afterward.
“We get the lead and we blow it,” Tritons coach Rachel Holloway said.
“Mariner came to play, that’s for sure,” Vodola said. “As the season went on they played better and better. We knew we were going to be in for a fight. We did the right things at the right time. That’s all you can ask. Sometimes games are going to be tight.”
Natavia Ellis drove in Jones in the first inning, and scored in the fourth on Melinda Thirion’s RBI single to give North a 2-0 lead going to the fifth inning.
Holloway (19-6) and the Tritons (22-6) hope to get one more shot at North, which could happen if both teams win their first-round playoff games on Wednesday.
“We’re not done yet. We’ll shake it off,” Holloway said. “We’ll see them again. It’ll be a different ending next time, I believe.”