Hagerty finally has its state softball trophy. The Huskies captured their first FHSAA Class 7A state championship on Wednesday, grinding out a 2-0 win over Western High at Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park in Longwood. A scoreless duel broke open in the sixth when Campbell Downing cracked a two-out, two-run double that turned a tense title game into a milestone night. The win wrapped up a 27-4 season and secured the program’s long-awaited first state crown.
Downing’s game-changer came with two outs in the sixth, after a one-out single by Mattingly Klein and an Alina Gallaher hit-by-pitch put pressure on Western, according to the Orlando Sentinel. She drilled a shot into the left-field gap that cleared the bases and brought home the only runs Hagerty would need. In the circle, Bella Ortiz scattered two hits and struck out five, then slammed the door in the seventh with back-to-back strikeouts to preserve the shutout. The Orlando Sentinel also notes that the victory delivered Hagerty its first FHSAA state softball championship.
Final Four Site And Road To The Title
The championship was played out at the Boombah-Soldiers Creek Park complex, which served as the official site for the 2026 FHSAA softball series. The FHSAA bracket shows Hagerty punching its ticket to the final with a dominant 7-0 semifinal win over Jupiter, while Western advanced on the strength of a 4-0 semifinal victory. By the time the title game rolled around, both teams were clearly comfortable in a low-scoring, pitching-first environment.
Coach Praises Returning Core
“The returning players set a goal at the start of the season and showed resolve,” coach Tom Kreahling said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. He and his staff pointed to Downing’s clutch at-bat and Ortiz’s steady presence in the circle as the turning points in what had been a tight, nervy contest. In a game where one mistake could have decided everything, Hagerty’s stars delivered at exactly the right time.
Program Milestone
The title caps a historic run for Hagerty, which finished the season at 27-4, according to MaxPreps. A balanced lineup and shutdown pitching staff carried the Huskies to the top of Central Florida’s high school softball scene, a spot they will hold as they head into the summer and start thinking about how to follow this act.
Western’s Run And Future
Western starter Cheyanne Chaffin, noted earlier this week as an FIU commit, turned in a strong performance but was tagged with the loss after Hagerty’s sixth-inning surge, per the Miami Herald. The Wildcats, regular threats in the 7A bracket, came up just short this time but once again found themselves deep in the state tournament. They will regroup with yet another high-profile postseason run on their resume.
