Trinity Catholic softball scores major upset to advance in FHSAA playoffs
Riding star pitcher Caylee Barbe and a hit-by-committee approach, Trinity Catholic upset the region's No. 1 team on Wednesday night.
There's a saying in sports that it's hard to beat a team three times in the same season. And that adage proved true on Wednesday, May 13, as Trinity Catholic softball (16-11) hit the road to take on The First Academy in the Region 2-2A region semifinals in the FHSAA state tournament . The visiting Celtics had faced the hosting Royals twice in the regular season, losing both games by a combined score of 14-3.
Trinity Catholic, however, flipped history on its axis and beat The First Academy when it mattered most, ending the Royals' season with a 6-3 win to send the Celtics to the region championship game. Getting the start in the circle for the Celtics was, unsurprisingly, Trinity Catholic's junior ace Caylee Barbe . Barbe, a Syracuse softball commit, went the distance, pitching all seven innings, allowing five hits, three runs (all unearned) and striking out 12.
From the plate, where Barbe has amassed a . 429 average with eight home runs, the Royals were careful not to let the Celtics' two-way star hurt them too much as Barbe drew four walks in the game. Fortunately for Trinity Catholic, the Celtics were able to lean on a team effort on offense as five batters recorded hits with senior Rebecca LeFils being the only multi-hit batter with two hits.
Meanwhile, junior Hailey Wilson is credited with three RBIs, courtesy of her third home run of the season, while fellow junior Jordan Koehn finished with a pair of RBIs on one hit. Following the win, Trinity Catholic now advances to the region championship game, where it will see No. 3 seed Cornerstone Charter Academy (21-5) with a trip to the Final Four on a line.