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© St. Petersburg Times, published March 26, 2002
Two days after a 14-inning win at Countryside, Palm Harbor U.'s softball team shook off fatigue to win two of three at the Baptist Hospital Slamfest in Miami.
After outlasting the Cougars in a 3 1/2-hour, 1-0 game Thursday, PHU left Friday morning for Miami but did not play that day due to bad weather. A little sluggishness remained Saturday in a 2-0 loss to Miami Palmetto, but later that day the Hurricanes, No. 6 in Class 5A, beat two top 6A teams.
Jessica Brinkman pitched a complete game in a 3-2 win over John I. Leonard, ranked No. 5 in 6A. In the nightcap against 6A No. 4 Miami Sunset, PHU fell behind 4-0 behind a young lineup, then stormed back when an assistant suggested to coach Chuck Poetter to put the older players in.
"He said, "Put the big dogs in,' so I did," Poetter said. "We started crushing the ball, and that was it. The girls weren't happy with losing."
The Hurricanes (18-3) scored one run in the fifth inning and four in the sixth to go up 5-4, and pitcher Dani Hofer held off Sunset to secure the victory.