Zephyrhills and Tarpon Springs take what's given and advance to the final as a result.
By ANTHONY GAGLIANO
Published April 29, 2004
ZEPHYRHILLS - Defense determined the winners and losers of Wednesday's Class 4A, District 10 tournament semifinals. Five errors by Wesley Chapel in a 6-run third inning sealed top-seeded Zephyrhills' 6-1 victory, and three Ridgewood errors contributed directly to all three Tarpon Springs' runs in a 3-1 defeat.
"It's mental," Zephyrhills coach Pat Moul said. "If you make errors, they'll jump on you. As a player you have to capitalize on that."
The Bulldogs (15-7) had no worries as things snowballed for Wesley Chapel in the third. Three of the first four batters reached via error, with two throwing errors placing runners at second and third for Terra Rosenswag, who singled home Haley Decker.
A double steal brought Melissa Miller home and Rosenswag came across on a wild pitch. Jessica Reese singled through the left side to plate another run before the Wildcats finally recorded an out.
The Bulldogs were further aided when Wesley Chapel starter Dayna Glover committed an illegal pitch with the bases loaded, and the sixth run scored on a misplayed fly ball by the left fielder.
In all, Wesley Chapel committed eight errors.
"You're not getting errors unless you hit the ball, and everybody hit the ball tonight," Moul said.
Jesse Luczynski plated the lone Wildcats' run with a triple to the wall in right in the fifth.
For Ridgewood, Wednesday's first semifinal was more of the same story.
"Errors plagued us all year," Ridgewood coach Jen Molby said. "Once we start, we don't know how to turn it off."
Nowhere was that more prevalent than in the first inning when Tarpon leadoff hitter Courtney Wallace reached on a throwing error. She came around on a wild pitch and Carly Donovan scored the second run of the inning on a bad pickoff throw to third by the catcher.
A two-out error in the third moved the runner to second, and Rachel Riley made the Rams pay with a single up the middle.
Ridgewood (12-14) broke through in the fifth when Liz Kirby's double dusted the leftfield line. Cleanup hitter Jess Birchmeier came up with the tying runs on base, but grounded out to first. Birchmeier batted with two on in the third and couldn't do any damage either with a popup to short.
"I know she thought they were trying to walk her," Molby said. "She was a little anxious and wanted to make sure she got her cut. It's a situation where you want a hitter like her in. As a coach, you feel like you did your job."
