By Kyle Coppola
Eustis High Softball Team Dominates Umatilla With 11-0 Win
Last night the Eustis Lady Panthers softball team put on a dominating performance against cross-town rival Umatilla High School. The Lady Panthers were 8-0 coming into the contest and they proved why they are one of the best softball teams in Lake County.
Eustis got things started in the bottom of the 1st inning with a 4 run inning that left Umatilla scratching their heads and looking for answers. Jensen Luke, Ciera Maple and Gabby Hiles were on their best this evening. The pitching this year for Eustis has been lights out as well with senior Skylar Cloud and sophomore Carson Roden who are some of the best pitchers in Lake County.
(Starting pitcher Skyler Cloud had a lot to live up to in 2024. She is delivering an incredible season for Eustis.)
The second inning saw another 2 runs scored to make it a 6-0 game. It looked as though Umatilla might settle into the game but Eustis would score 1 run in the 4th inning, 1 run in the 5th and ultimately end the game in the bottom of the 6th inning with another 3 runs scored to make it 11-0 the final.
(Eustis High gave Umatilla junior Mittie O’Brien all she could handle on Tuesday evening. O’Brien did her best but the sheer power of the Panthers batters limited her impact on the game.)
Eustis High moves to 9-0 on the year and they look unstoppable right now. Meanwhile the Umatilla Bulldogs move to 5-4 on the season. The Lady Panthers are playing some of the best softball we have ever seen in the history of the program. The last few years have been special but this team in particular looks to be one of the strongest in recent memory.
(Eustis Panthers Ciera Maple was all smiles last night. The FAMU commit is slashing a .531 Average to begin the season. She has 11 RBIs, 17 hits and leads the team with 19 runs scored. She also has 18 steals.)
It’s not just about getting on base, it is what you do when you get on base that matters. Eustis has three players with 18+ steals and one player with 20 steals already this season. Both Brooklyn Powhida and Ciera Maple have 18 steals and Adrianna Covino leads the team with 20 steals. Covino is a sophomore and a very fast player. We love the way this young girl plays the game and we know she will be doing great things in the years to come.
Eustis is primed to do big things. They are outscoring their opponents 110 – 13 this season. Those are incredible numbers but there is tougher competition on the horizon. Games against The Villages, The First Academy, Montverde Academy and Windermere will challenge this team in so many ways. The coming weeks will be a true indicator of where this team is at. But the 11-0 win against Umatilla is just what the doctor ordered.
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
