Montverde, Fla.— The Montverde Academy softball lost in extra innings, losing to Fort Myers High School 8-6 in eight innings in the final game of the 2022 Montverde Academy Invitational Softball Tournament (MAIST) on Saturday evening.
With the loss, the Eagles are now 10-3 this season.
Despite the loss, the Eagles showed grit. They fell behind 6-0 early. Three runs in the top of the first, followed by three more runs in the top of the second inning put the visiting Green Wave in control. But MVA fought back and tied the game by the bottom of the seventh inning. The Eagles scored four runs in the bottom of the third to pull to within two. Then MVA scored again in the bottom of the fourth to edge closer. Still down 6-5 going into the bottom half of the seventh inning, the Eagles completed the comeback. Yani Guzman led off the inning with a triple, then scored on an RBI groundout by Jenna Meder to force extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, with a runner on second as per softball's international tie breaker rule (batter due up ninth in the inning gets placed on second base to start the inning), Fort Myers' Julia Knowler turned on the first pitch she saw and hit her second of two home runs in the game (she had hit a home run in the first inning) in what turned out to be the game winning hit.
MVA outhit Fort Myers 13-8 overall. Guzman led the way for the Eagles going 4-for-4, was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle and she scored twice. Lelia Susaia went 3-for-4 with a double, a run and three runs batted in. Eva Rivera and Makayla Navarro added two hits each.
Emerson Gunkel suffered the loss after going eight innings and allowing seven runs (only two were earned) on eight hits while striking out three.
Friday's MAIST Results
Game 1 Montverde Academy 8 Inspiration Academy 5
Game 2 Middleburg 2 Inspiration Academy 1
Game 3 Oakleaf 9 Episcopal School 0
Game 4 Fort Myers 11 Middleburg 3
Game 5 Episcopal School 7 Montverde Academy 6
Saturday's MAIST Results
Game 1 Fort Myers 4 Oakleaf 3
Game 2 Episcopal School 3 Inspiration Academy 0
Game 3 Oakleaf 9 Middleburg 1
Game 4 Fort Myers 8 Montverde Academy 6
2022 MAIST All-Tournament Team
Morgan Beckham - Middleburg
Jade Carnahan – Inspiration Academy
Ciara Gibson – Oakleaf
Yani Guzman – Montverde Academy
Elle Hildrith – Inspiration Academy
Grace Jones – Episcopal School
Julia Knowler – Fort Myers
Charley Maddox – Oakleaf
Haley Morales – Fort Myers
Peyton Namyslowski – Episcopal School
Makayla Navarro – Montverde Academy
Alyssa Prather – Middleburg
2022 MAIST Offensive MVP
Yani Guzman – Montverde Academy
2022 MAIST Tournament MVP
Julia Knowler – Fort Myers
About Montverde Academy:
Montverde Academy is a private, independent college preparatory school for grades Pre-K3 through post-graduate studies, with a boarding program serving grades 7-12 representing 90+ nationalities. Our mission is to inspire students to become knowledgeable leaders with global vision and passion for learning, in a disciplined and diverse community that nurtures character development. For more information, visit us online at Montverde.org and at MVASports.com. On social media, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter.
