Niceville softball enters Region Sweet 16 on nine-game win streak

NICEVILLE — Nine straight wins, a freshman ace and a scrappy lineup perfecting small ball ... what's not to love about the potential postseason run of perennial power Niceville softball?

The Eagles dominated Okaloosa County rivals, going a combined 7-0 vs. Choctaw, Crestview and Fort Walton Beach.

The Eagles dominated District 2-6A for a 6-0 mark.

Now they can't even remember their last loss, Niceville's latest win an 8-2 triumph over fifth-seeded Winter Springs in the Region 1-6A quarterfinals to advance to the Sweet 16.

Next up? That'd be a trip to top-seeded Pace for the fourth-seeded Eagles, who lost 6-0 the last time they visited the Patriots back on March 22. In that contest, LSU-bound Jayden Heavener struck out 18 in a one-hitter. Only Kim Neely logged a single that night, while 10 Eagles had at least one strikeout.

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While Heavener's 21-2 record, 259 strikeouts and 15 shutouts paint a picture of an uphill climb for Niceville, this isn't the same Eagles crew of seven weeks ago. Thursday reflected that.

Briana Holes led things off in the first inning with a two-run bomb and back-to-back singles by Emma Sites and Neely set up a Carnley Summerlin RBI. Freshman Chloe Bailey protected the lead with 5 1/3 innings of three-hit ball, allowing two earned runs while striking out four. In the sixth, Niceville got some breathing room with a two-run double from Molly Mayfield, a RBI single from McKenzie Toth and a two-run double by Ava Gibson.

Neely, Toth and Anabelle Shackelford each had two hits and Holes, Mayfield and Gibson ended the night with two RBIs apiece. Earning the save was Sites, who tossed 1 2/3 innings of scoreless ball.

During the nine-game win streak, the Eagles have outscored foes 54-23 to improve to 18-8. Pace enters Tuesday 24-2, ranked third in the state and seventh nationally, but lost 2-0 to Orange Beach four games ago.