Coming off an explosive night at the plate, Apopka softball found a different way to win Friday. 

Less than 24 hours after a 17-hit performance in an 8-2 road win over Mount Dora Christian, the Blue Darters took down Lake Mary for a second time this season, 5-2. 

With Mia Aeschilman in the circle, the Blue Darters set the tone defensively in the first inning. After inducing a groundout, Apopka flashed its defensive ability as Ava Gonzalez snagged a line drive up the first base line to keep Lake Mary off the board. 

The offense followed immediately. 

Shylah Pino worked a leadoff walk before Alicia Lopez drove a double deep into left-center field, allowing Pino to score all the way from first. Riley Ford kept it going with a hard ground ball up the middle to bring in Lopez, and Gonzalez added to the rally with a double off the center field wall to score Ford and give Apopka a 3-0 lead by the end of the first inning. 

Lake Mary threatened in the second after a pair of singles and a walk put runners in scoring position, but Aeschilman worked out of the jam by inducing a soft groundout to second base. The defense continued to back her up, highlighted by Braylyn Pirillo throwing out a runner at second from right field earlier in the inning. 

Apopka’s aggressiveness on the basepaths continued in the bottom half. Pino singled and stole second before advancing to third on a passed ball, though the Blue Darters were unable to add on. 

Defensively, Apopka remained sharp through the middle innings. Pirillo tracked down multiple fly balls in right, while Pino made a strong play at shortstop, scooping a grounder and firing to first for an out in the fourth. Aeschilman added a strikeout to cap the inning and maintain control. 

The Blue Darters carried their 3-0 lead into the sixth, when Lake Mary finally broke through. 

A leadoff single and aggressive baserunning put pressure on Apopka, and back-to-back hits brought in a run to make it 3-1. With the bases loaded and one out, Apopka turned to Ava Millspaugh in relief. 

Pirillo delivered one of the biggest defensive plays of the night, making a leaping grab on a line drive in right field to hold the baserunners. Lake Mary added a run on a walk, but Millspaugh limited the rally by inducing a groundout to Pino, who flipped to Ford at second for the force, keeping Apopka in front 3-2. 

“Shylah did a fantastic job at shortstop,” head coach Mike MacWithey said. “She’s a stud out there and everywhere else.” 

The Blue Darters answered in the bottom half of the frame. 

After Gonzalez battled through a nine pitch at-bat, Victoria Shaw sparked the offense with a single. Alezia Hatcher followed, and after the runners advanced, Callie Sowers dropped a perfectly placed bunt down the third base line to score Shaw and push the lead to 4-2. 

Moments later, Pino came through with a clutch hit into the gap, bringing home another run to give Apopka crucial insurance at 5-2. 

Millspaugh shut the door in the seventh. She induced a groundout, a flyout and then fielded a comebacker for the final out to secure the win. 

“Ava is a horse, and she just wants it,” MacWithey said. “She came in and did her job.” 

Ford led the offense with two hits, a run and an RBI, while Pino and Lopez each added a hit, a run and an RBI. 

MacWithey said the game required a different approach compared to the previous night’s offensive outburst. 

“We had a big game [Thursday] night and played that with a lot of intensity,” MacWithey said. “This one felt a little flat at times, and I think Mia got a little tired there in the sixth. That’s on me, because she doesn’t usually have to go a full game. But she was cruising, so I gave her that opportunity.” 

Apopka also debuted its new “space game” uniforms, a nod to the program’s connection to Central Florida. 

“Being a UCF graduate and an engineering teacher, I call those our space game uniforms,” MacWithey said. “I’ll be honest, I was skeptical at first, but they looked pretty daggum sharp. That’s going to be a special game type of uniform for us.” 

With the win, Apopka now turns its focus to the Metro West Conference finals, where it will host Horizon on Tuesday. 

“We expect to do our part at home,” MacWithey said. “Hopefully win that game and then move on to the Metro Championship.”