Rally not enough as Oxbridge falls in title game

VERO BEACH — As the runner-up medals were being placed around the necks of his players, Oxbridge coach Kevin Drake went down the line, hugged each player and gave them the same message. “Keep your head up.” The ThunderWolves may have made program history by reaching their first state championship game, but it was Miami Westminster Christian that came away with the 4-2 win Thursday night at Historic Dodgertown.

As devastating as the loss was, Drake didn’t want his players to lose sight of just how much they accomplished this season.

“Why be down?” Drake said. “Be proud of them all, what they accomplished. (Our record was) 27-3. We beat some good teams.

“We weren’t supposed to be here, but like I told the girls — when you can be there on the last day of the season, anything can happen. It just went the other way.”

The loss snapped a 23-game winning streak for the ThunderWolves (27-3), who had vowed to Drake after dropping two games against Key West this season that they wouldn’t lose another game.

And they came close. So painfully close.

But in the end, the ThunderWolves couldn’t break through against a Warriors team that got the big plays when they needed them — including an RBI triple by Nikkia Benitez in the sixth inning that pushed the lead to two runs and helped seal the game.

The ThunderWolves fell behind 3-0 midway through the game when Westminster Christian got a run in the fourth and two more in the fifth.

However, with two out in the bottom of the fifth, Oxbridge began to make its move — and all with two outs.

After Lucky Gilman and Josie Foreman singled, Caridad Estes walked to load the bases. Lianna Mullins then drilled an RBI single to center field to make it a 3-1 game. A walk to Nashani Gilbert-Taylor would bring home the second run of the inning, but Westminster Christian pitcher Brooklyn Maguire would get out of the jam with an inning-ending strikeout.

The ThunderWolves, as it turned out, would not get another scoring chance.

In his postgame chat with his players, Drake called seniors Mullins, Lindsey Love and Lucky Gilman to the center of the circle, where he wished them luck in all that they do.

“The seniors are outstanding,” Drake said. “Their leadership and their hard work and effort are second to none. We’re definitely going to miss them.”

CARL KOTALA/COURTESY Oxbridge’s Lianna Mullins watches after delivering a pitch in the first inning during Thursday’s Class 4A softball championship game.