Observer Preps Athlete of the Week: Taylor Richards

OCOEE The Ocoee Knights softball team did something March 1 that several people familiar with program believe has never been done before — they beat the rival West Orange Warriors, 2-1.

Leading the way for the Knights (2-4-1) was junior pitcher Taylor Richards — our Observer Preps Athlete of the Week. Richards allowed just four hits in seven innings of work, pitching the program to its biggest win to date. 

"Taylor pitched an awesome game,"   "She got into struggles a couple times ... but she battled back. Our defense backed her up — we were error-free yesterday, too."

For Richards, it was a dream-come-true of sorts to be on the mound when the Knights finally topped their nearby rival.

"It means a lot — I felt like me and my team had a lot of heart toward that game and we all wanted the same thing," Richards said.

Ocoee has had a slow start to the season — the victory against the Warriors was just their second win — but the Knights are now hopeful they can build off of the milestone victory.

"We beat a defending state championship team," Richards said. "It puts us in a position where it's like 'we can actually do this.'"

Contact Steven Ryzewski at [email protected].