Two more victories send the team to the state championship after winning two games 10-5 and 17-3.
By ANTHONY GAGLIANO
Published July 27, 2003
With its doubleheader sweep Saturday, Citrus Park's minor softball team claimed the top seed in the North bracket and is two games away from a state championship.
The team of 9- and 10-year-olds rallied from a one-run deficit in the sixth in its first game to win 10-5, and with a spot in a semifinal not guaranteed the team rolled over Tri-County 17-3 to earn the top seed.
Citrus Park faces defending state champion Naples at 2 p.m. today at San Carlos Little League in Fort Myers.
"The girls are really swinging the bats, which is something we did not do in districts or sectionals too well," manager Bruce Oglevie said. "Naples has lot of experienced players, and they've won state many times."
Bloomingdale is the top seed out of the South bracket and plays Dunnellon in the other semifinal.
Dunnellon had a 5-4 lead on Citrus Park heading into the sixth. But Angela Kafalas' triple leading off the sixth quickly turned the tide. Starting pitcher Alexis Wilt drove in Kafalas, and Citrus Park got run-scoring singles from Alyssa Ely, Amber Rusher, Chelsea Oglevie and Danielle DeLeon.
With a win likely in hand, Oglevie relieved Wilt and kept Dunnellon off the scoreboard.
Even with a 2-0 record, Citrus Park needed to beat Tri-County to clinch a semifinal berth and the top spot. Otherwise three teams could have finished 2-1 and a tiebreaker (least runs allowed per inning) would have decided which two advanced. Citrus Park left nothing to chance and jumped on Tri-County early.
Five runs in the first inning, four in the second and five in the third assured Citrus Park would advance.
Kafalas and Nickie Hall each had three hits, Oglevie had two and Ely had an inside-the-park home run. Kafalas handled most of the pitching duties, with Alexis Mallow and Ely covering the final inning before rain set in.
