Hann, Shackelford launch Niceville softball into region finals

NICEVILLE — "Like father, like son," that's how Niceville senior Anabelle Shackelford described her relationship with freshman Sydney Hann. "Literally Bron and Bronny, that's what they call us ," Shackelford expanded, referencing LeBron James and his Laker teammate and son, Bronny. Cut to the bottom of the third inning of Wednesday's Region 1-5A semifinal against Gulf Breeze, Niceville deadlocked at 3 with Gulf Breeze after a disastrous top half of the frame.

And there Shackelford was, rushing out of the dugout to mob home plate, waiting as her "little freshman" rounded the bases after belting a go-ahead oppo-taco deep over the right field wall and into the sea of trucks. Two batters later, following a single by Valerie Malley, Hann would repay the favor by mobbing her veteran senior following a prodigious two-run blast to right-center field. Like father, like son.

Or vice versa. Regardless, the duo matched each other with three homers on the season and launched Niceville into a 6-3 Region 1-5A semifinal win over Gulf Breeze and an Elite 8 date Thursday with Chiles, which they beat last year 3-1 in the region semifinals. "I was really just trying to make sure to stay short and just make contact with the ball and not swing anything out of the zone," Hann said.

"Yeah, just like get a base hit for our team. " "Watching her do that, it really put a hype into all of us, I think," Shackelford said. "It really carried us through, that inning especially.