The Columbia softball team has a state championship more than a decade in the making.
Ryleigh Stone whiffed nine and got out of a massive tough spot in the top of the seventh as the Tigers edged Lake Wales 3-2 to win the Class 4A state championship on Saturday morning in Longwood. It’s just the second title for Columbia, with the last coming in 2013 with the big bat of Kayli Kvistad leading the way.
Recommended Videos
This time, it was clutch hitting by Emily Delgado and Alannah Lord giving Stone enough to work with to deliver the crown. It was the final event that counts of the 2025-26 high school season, and it couldn’t have ended better. Columbia’s championship gives the area two softball state champs this year. University Christian won the Class 1A crown earlier in the week.
Columbia took advantage of two batters who were hit by pitches in the bottom of the fourth to set up Delgado. She hit an opposite field shot into the corner in right field to push in two runs. One inning later, Lord ripped a comebacker up the middle to push in a run for a 3-0 Columbia lead.
But Lake Wales battled back, loading the bases with two outs in the seventh. Stone induced a long fly ball to right that was handled and the celebration was on.