They left no doubt about it.
Eustis, the state’s top-ranked team in Class 4A, claimed its first FHSAA softball state championship in decisive fashion Friday night.
Sophomore pitcher Libby Levendoski struck out 16 batters as the Panthers (27-1) won 5-0 against Brooksville Hernando (26-5) in front of a spirited crowd at Legends Way Ballfields.
Levendoski dropped to her knees and buried her face in the palms of her hands after the final out before being mobbed by teammates in the pitching circle.
“I’ve been thinking of this moment for a month or two,” Levendoski said with a smile. “All the workouts and all the [running] suicides and throwing up in the field from running too much was worth it. All of that pain and anguish and anxiety came out right at that moment.”
Eustis was playing in the championship round for the first time since finishing as state runner-up in 2017. Former players from that team were among supporters in attendance Friday.
The foundation for this year’s championship run at Eustis was put in place last summer after the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It started in the summer when they were waking up at 6:30 in the morning, two days a week, to workout and push themselves,” Eustis coach Brittany Beall said. “We had a great group of seniors and I’m going to miss them tremendously. The did their job and they showed leadership through the whole season.”
The Panthers, who extended their win streak to 20, finished the season with five seniors in the starting lineup.
Aubrey Ruby went 3-for-3 on Friday and Paris Key drove in a run on a blast to the fence in left field that went for a triple. Arianna Spinnichia finished with an RBI in a four-run second inning for the Panthers while Isabela Andujar scored the game’s final run in the third.
“It’s so exciting. We’ve fought for this all four years,” Ruby said.
Levendoski, who helped Mount Dora Christian finish as state runner-up as an eighth-grader in 2019, held Hernando to two hits and issued only one walk while throwing 107 pitches.
Hernando opened the game with a lead-off double but was silenced over its next 11 at-bats. The Leopards put a runner on base in the fourth inning on a single and again in the seventh on a walk, which came one batter before Levendoski prompted the celebration with her final strikeout.
This article originally appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email J.C. Carnahan at jcarnahan@orlandosentinel.com.
