Coral Springs Charter leans on pitching depth, tops Western to win BCAA Big 8 softball title
POMPANO BEACH — With starting ace Sophia Bertorelli likely lost for the season with a shoulder injury, Coral Springs Charter turned to freshman pitcher Courtney Wahlbrink, and she’s delivered all year.
Wahlbrink (21-3) tossed a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts as the defending-champion Panthers topped Western 10-3 Thursday night for the BCAA Big 8 softball championship at Four-Fields Complex. She was named tournament MVP after going 3-0 with 26 strikeouts.
“It’s definitely big shoes to fill,” said Wahlbrink, who has been on the varsity for three years and made 15 appearances last year and finished with a 3-0 record pitching behind Bertorelli. “It was hard living up to the legacy she has had at the school. It’s been an honor to pitch under Sophie and I know she’ll be back next season.
“I know my team always has my back and I honestly have to give it to them,” she added. “It is not just me. This is definitely a big win and gets us ready for the district finals next week. Hopefully, we’ll make it to states with this momentum.”
Senior Kate Matson and sophomore Gio Gurgel each hit a home run and junior Addi Michel went 4 for 4 with three runs scored and two stolen bases for the Panthers. It marked the second straight year Coral Springs Charter downed Western in the title game. The Panthers, who have won four of the past six BCAA titles, won last year’s championship 5-4.
Coral Springs Charter (22-3), the top-ranked Class 3A team in the state, has won 15 straight since a 3-2 loss in eight innings on March 21 against Doral Academy. The Panthers’ other losses this season were 5-2 against Park Vista and 2-0 against Wellington. They have outscored the opposition 193-27 and also defeated Western 6-0 on March 18.
“When you lose a pitcher like Sophia, you get a little concerned because you have to ride a freshman,” said Coral Springs Charter coach Mark Montimurro, whose team fell to Somerset Palms 1-0 in the regional finals in eight innings last year. “We know what we have in Wahlbrink. She is a dominant horse, even though she is young. Would we love to have Sophie and Courtney 1-2, yes, but you have to play with the hand you’re dealt.
“We are hoping for a late-season miracle,” said Montimurro about getting Bertorelli and her surgically repaired shoulder back by the end of the year. “The good thing about the playoffs is you have rest in between. Courtney is pitching well; we play good defense behind her, and the bats are starting to come alive. We are working a lot on hitting this year.”
Coral Springs Charter scored in the bottom of the first inning when Michel scored on an error. Western tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the second on a two-out double to right-center field by junior Kennedy Butter, which scored senior Jade Castillo.
Coral Springs Charter went ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the second when Matson was hit by a pitch and the courtesy runner, sophomore Ashlyn Ward, came around to score on a fielder’s choice by senior Kayleigh Cuccia.
The Panthers extended the lead to 6-1 on Matson’s 2-run bomb to right-center field in the third and plated three more in the bottom of the fourth on a three-run blast by Gurgel, her team-leading seventh of the season.
Gurgel, who missed all of last season with torn cartilage in her knee, said she and her team are “feeling it” this season.
“We have come out strong and Courtney has our back, and we have hers,” Gurgel said. “Last year I missed my chance and had to watch them play up to the regional finals. I wanted to come back strong. I was so hyped when I saw the ball go over the fence.”
Western (20-4-1), ranked third in the Class 7A state poll, had won three in a row since a 2-0 loss to Wellington. The Wildcats tied Bishop Verot (4-4) and lost 4-1 to Stoneman Douglas in the season opener. They were able to score two unearned runs off Wahlbrink in the top of the fourth on an infield single by Butter to cut the lead to 6-3.