Derek J. LaRiviere, Times Correspondent
Thursday, March 10, 2011
BROOKSVILLE — On its way to bigger things down the road, Nature Coast ran into a future star.
Erin Moynihan was the lone bright spot for Weeki Wachee as the Hornets fell 6-1 to the Sharks on Thursday afternoon on the road.
The freshman knocked off Nature Coast top seed Mallorie Pickersgill in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, to improve to 9-1. Moynihan has thrived in the varsity environment, picking up her game as the leader for inexperienced Weeki Wachee (1-9).
"Last year, Mallorie would beat me (in youth tournaments)," Moynihan said. "But I've been working hard. I love it here. I'm excited about being the No. 1 seed and getting the chance to do that for all four years of high school."
The Sharks (9-1) kept right on rolling. Their depth was far too much for the Hornets as the program looks toward the postseason.
Nature Coast won the rest of its matches in straight sets, including a victory by No. 2 seed Delanie McCabe over Rebecca Scott (6-0, 6-0). McCabe, a junior, is 7-2 and will be important to how far the Sharks go after the district tournament in two weeks.
"This was a good win," Nature Coast assistant John Downey said. "Talent comes in all ranges. Keeping the kids focused is the key. Today was a good day for us, but we really have to keep our eyes on districts."
Other individual winners for the home team were senior Kaitlyn Bugden and freshmen Rosie Witherell and Zavanna Schmidt.