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Northside 9-10 team reaches state final

It was bound to happen. Eau Galle became the first team in All-Star play to get a hit off Northside's Megan McGrath. What Eau Galle failed to do, though, was score as Northside won 3-0 to advance to the 9-10 softball state championship game.

"I couldn't be prouder at this point," Northside coach Randy Martinez said. "The 14 players on this team have really sacrificed. It almost brings tears to my eyes to be at the championship game."

Northside will face Naples at 6 p.m. today for the title. There are no regionals in the 9-10-year-old division, so today's clash will be Northside's last game.

"This is like their World Series," Martinez said. "Today is it for two outstanding teams."

After being one out away from a perfect game Sunday, McGrath was only very good Tuesday. She fired a complete-game one-hitter with 12 strikeouts. She was shaky in the second, walking the bases loaded. A strikeout ended the threat and Eau Galle failed to muster another opportunity.

Northside jumped in front early, combining hits from Sarah Elgar and Shelby Heiser in the first for a pair of runs. McGrath had as many hits as Eau Galle, lining a double in the fifth to score Elgar with Northside's final run.

JUNIOR SOFTBALL: Tampa Bay got the wrong team Monday but the right outcome Tuesday.

After waiting a day when the wrong team was sent to the state semifinals in DeBarry, Tampa Bay took out its frustration on Lake Wales in a 6-1 victory. Tampa Bay advances to the championship game today against Naples, which beat Deltona 4-3 in eight innings Monday.

Tari Owi went 3-for-3, doubled, tripled and drove in three runs to lead Tampa Bay. Kerri Croney also had a double and a triple, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Katie Grimes went 1-for-2 and scored two runs. Lauren Castellvi also went 1-for-2. Tampa Bay pitcher Amanda Chesser gave up three hits and one run in four innings.

Today's game gives manager Larry Rodriguez and his team a shot at a third state title.

"I'm just on for the ride," Rodriguez said. "The players are taking us as far as we can go. It's like we're on a train ride: When the ride stops, I'll get off."

9-10 BASEBALL: North Springs handed Tampa Bay a 10-8 loss in the state semifinals, ending the District 6 champion's season.

"It was exhilarating getting there and deflating having to pack up and go home," coach Joe Cimino said.

A disastrous fourth inning proved to be Tampa Bay's undoing. North Springs scored six runs in the fourth to take a commanding lead.

"We had that one bad inning," Cimino said. "The wheels just seemed to come off."

Trailing 10-2 in the sixth, Tampa Bay regained its composure. The team scraped together one clutch hit after another, batting around in a six-run inning of its own to pull within 10-8. But with runners on second and third, Tampa Bay couldn't push home the tying runs.

It was a tough pill to swallow after Tampa Bay had killed opponents' rallies in the sixth innings Sunday and Monday to move on to the semifinals.

"These kids put their whole summer into it," Cimino said. "From the eighth of June until now is a big commitment. And to finish third in the state is quite an accomplishment."

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