At every twist and turn in the road, Dwyer softball has had an unexpected answer.
Faced with the latest challenge of visiting Palm Beach Gardens to battle the region's No. 1 seed, the Panthers outlasted the Gators in a dramatic 5-3 in in eight innings.
It's the first district championship for Dwyer in six seasons, and one of several underdog successes for a Dwyer squad that has ripped off a six-game win streak to enter regional play as one of Palm Beach County's hottest teams, despite a middling 14-12 record.
"It was a really fantastic game," head coach Matt Bodenheimer said. "We have two girls that we rely on to pitch and we knew we were going to have to throw them both. We just battled all the way."
After Maddy Lowdermilk and Haylee Taylor navigated a dangerous Gators (18-7) lineup to push the game into extra innings, Bodenheimer called for a play he says they've been working on for a long time.
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Following a successful bunt that moved Alyssa Dover over to second base, Taylor hit a fly ball and Bodenheimer motioned for both runners to tag up.
The move forced an error as the Gators hastily tried to get the runner coming into third and both runners came around to score as the ball trickled into the dugout, putting the Panthers up by two runs in extras — a lead they would hold onto in the bottom half of the eighth to clinch the victory.
"That gave us breathing room in the bottom of the eight to just attack the lineup," Bodenheimer said. "We were just totally locked in. A total team effort. The pitching staff the second half of the season has been absolutely tremendous."
Taylor allowed just two hits, both to FIU commit Victoria Scott, after coming in during the third inning.
The statement win is the latest in a string of victories against teams like Centennial, King's Academy, and Jupiter, with the Panthers' collective performance consistently improving as the season has gone on.
Making the dynamic second half even more impressive is how the team has responded to losing captain Kayla Sejnoha, who broke her leg in the game against Doral Academy in March and hasn't played since.
"Our defense has been incredible," Bodenheimer said. "When Kayla broke her leg, we were wondering what we were going to do at shortstop, but sophomore Riley Adams has been fantastic. We have more fielding chances than any team in the region because we don't strike a lot of kids out."
Adams made a diving catch in the hole before tagging the baserunner in the fifth inning of the game on Thursday, while Dover made an impressive catch in center field, ranging back to the track to do so, preserving the late lead against Gardens.
After a rocky start to the year that saw Dwyer drop a few close games, the Panthers visited Jupiter in mid-March.
Despite losing 8-2, the second half of the game proved to the girls that they could come back and play well against a quality opponent.
"It all changed the first time we played Jupiter," Bodenheimer said. "We lost 8-2, but something triggered where we started believing that we could win. We played really well the second half of that game, and since that game, we have felt like we could beat anyone."
The next time that Dwyer played Jupiter, they won 9-1, and they haven't lost since.
"It's not about individual stats, its about what we're doing as a team," Bodenheimer said. 'And they totally believe right now."
Alex Peterman covers high school sports for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at [email protected].
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