The Apopka Blue Darters saw their unbeaten start to the season come to an end Friday night with a 2-1 loss to Eustis in a tightly contested pitchers’ duel. 

Apopka battled throughout the game but could not overcome two early runs by Eustis, stranding multiple runners and falling just short in the final inning. 

“Going through the first inning, it looked like Syd [Bartkin] got hit,” head coach Mike MacWithey said. “We only gave up two, but that was because our defense was stellar. I mean, that was D1 college-level defense. We played good defense, but we gave up too many hits early. Ava came in and did her job, and then we left people on base, and we just can’t do that.” 

Eustis struck first in the top of the opening inning with back-to-back hits that put runners on second and third against Sydney Bartkin. A deep shot into the gap drove in both runners, but Apopka limited further damage by catching a runner in a pickle and recording a groundout to second base to end the inning. 

The Blue Darters nearly answered. Leadoff batter Shylah Pino laid a bunt single down the first-base line, then stole third base after Ava Gonzalez drew a walk. Gonzalez followed by stealing second, putting two runners in scoring position with two outs, but Apopka was unable to capitalize. 

Ava Millspaugh entered in relief in the second inning and quickly settled the game down. She induced a comebacker to retire the first hitter on one pitch, struck out the next batter, and worked out of traffic after an infield hit. Millspaugh went on to pitch six strong innings, allowing four hits and striking out five. 

Apopka’s offense struggled to gain momentum through the middle innings. Pino collected a single to right field in the third, but the Blue Darters were again unable to move runners across.  

In the fifth inning, the Panthers placed a runner on with a bunt single and a stolen base, but Millspaugh responded with a groundout and a strikeout to escape the frame unscathed. 

The Blue Darters finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth inning. Alicia Lopez led off with a double into the left-field gap and stole third base. After a strikeout, Lopez took advantage of a wild pitch and raced home for Apopka’s lone run. A hit by Sydney Bartkin followed, but Eustis managed to escape the inning with a 2-1 lead intact. 

Millspaugh and the Apopka defense held again in the top of the seventh. After a groundout to second, Eustis placed runners on with a hit and a walk, but Lopez made a key defensive play at third base, flipping to Pino covering the bag for a force out before a grounder to short ended the threat. 

In the bottom of the seventh, Callie Sowers worked a leadoff walk, but Millspaugh lined out to center field and Hagan McGatlin grounded back to the pitcher, moving the runner to second with two outs. Pino drove a pitch hard into left field, but it was caught to end the game. 

Pino finished with two hits and a stolen base, while Millspaugh’s six innings of relief kept Apopka within striking distance until the final out. 

“We clearly didn’t bunt very well when we tried,” MacWithey said. “Then you’re in a close game with a bunch of big hitters, and you’re looking for somebody to get an extra-base hit to drive in a couple. They were extraordinarily fast. The only way you can beat that is to keep them off base, and we did that for six innings. We just didn’t make up for the early two.” 

The loss snapped Apopka’s 4-0 start to the season. The Blue Darters had opened the year with wins over Ponchatoula (8-4), Horizon (5-4), Seminole (5-3), and most recently Foundation Academy (11-1), a game in which eight different players recorded hits. 

Apopka will look to rebound Monday night when it hosts Evans at 6 p.m. The team will also take a midweek trip Wednesday to watch former Blue Darters compete at the collegiate level in a matchup between UCF and FAU softball. Apopka alum Aubrey Evans (UCF) and Jesiana Mora (FAU) are both starters and team leaders for their respective programs.