Back to back jacks not enough for GBHS
Curington, Atkinson homer in 6-5 loss to West Tech
BY JASON THOMPSON Gulf Breeze News jason@gulfbreezenews.com

Power surge Aubrey Curington (above, center) and Rose Atkinson (with helmet, right) hit back-to-back home runs for the Lady Dolphins, but it wasn't enough as West Florida Tech rallied for a 6-5 win in last week's district tournament in Gulf Breeze.

For the third time this season, the Gulf Breeze Lady Dolphin softball team was the first to score against West Florida Tech.

And for the third time, West Florida Tech ended the scoring, and with it, the Lady Dolphins' season, 6-5 in the quarterfinals of the District 1-3A Tournament April 17.

The first inning ended with no score as Rose Atkinson and Aubrey Curington ended the inning with putouts in left field and at second base, respectively.

The two were just getting warmed up.

Curington, who homered in last year's district tournament as a freshman, led off the second inning with a solo homer to right center field. Atkinson followed that up with a solo shot to left center field.

Natalie Newell and Kara Brown, both of whom had two hits in the loss, followed with consecutive singles.

After Erin Powell moved the runners over and Natalie Alverson hit into a fielder's choice, Deannette Zuniga and Lyndsey Wright reached base by fielding errors. Tess Waggoner, running for Brown, scored on the first error, while Alverson scored on the second.

Jason Thompson/Gulf Breeze News

But just as quickly, West Florida Tech tied it in the bottom of the second. Of the four hits in the inning, two of them were line drives past GBHS fielders, who couldn't get a glove on it as it went by.

But Brown would record one of her six strikeouts to get out of the inning. She walked only two in six innings, throwing 61 of her 85 pitches for strikes.

West Florida Tech took its first lead with two in the bottom of the third. A leadoff walk and two GBHS errors led to those runs scoring.

The Lady Dolphins got to within one in the top of the sixth, when Powell drew a oneout walk and scored on a sacrifice fly by Wright.

But the Lady Dolphins couldn't push the tying run across, leaving two runners on base. It was the third time GBHS left a pair of runners stranded.

Gulf Breeze's last chance came in the top of the seventh, when a liner heading into the right field for extra bases was stabbed out of the air on the dead run.

Jason Thompson/Gulf Breeze News Natalie Newell catches a ball during warmups as coach Rob Simon prepares to hit another. Newell had two hits in Gulf Breeze's 6-5 loss to West Florida Tech.

The Lady Dolphins had 33 batters in the game. Of those 33, 14 of them put the ball in play on the first pitch they saw.

Atkinson had two hits in the loss, which ended the Lady Dolphins season at 10-12 and marks the fifth in a row that they haven't clinched a playoff berth.