TAMPA - Starting in right field for the first time, Gaither's Sarah Bueno made the play of her life in the bottom of the eighth inning to preserve a 3-2 win, stunning defending state champ Chamberlain and clinching the Class 5A, District 7 title.
Caitlyn Bliss, whose two-run homer tied the game for Gaither, scored an unearned run in the top of the eighth. But Chamberlain (22-5) did what it had done four previous times - load the bases. And for the fifth time, the Chiefs left the sacks loaded.
Two infield grounders to third baseman Katie Clemente produced forceouts at the plate. Then Bueno, a converted second baseman, saved the game and the championship. Chamberlain's Brittany Cavalli hit a sharp grounder into rightfield for an apparent game-tying single. But Bueno charged the ball and threw a strike to first baseman Lauren Heiser to nail Cavalli for the final out. Bueno was in the outfield because shortstop Megan Faxas missed the game due to an illness, resulting in three Gaither lineup changes.
Chamberlain stranded 18 runners, and failed to score five times with the bases loaded and less than two outs.
"Our defense won the game for us," Gaither first-year coach Jim Morrissey said. Heiser burst into tears when the game was over.
"I'm the only four-year senior on our team and I'd never beaten Chamberlain in six tries," she said. "This is unbelievable."
5A-8: East Bay repeats
TAMPA - East Bay was the only district opponent Plant shut out twice this season. The trend continued Thursday.
Plant's Megan Menard tossed a complete game and Lauren Castellvi delivered a two-run single to lead the Panthers (21-6) 4-0 over East Bay (18-9) for a second straight district crown.
"All season long we have stressed maturity and keeping our composure," Plant coach Sallie Scudder said. "We have 16 freshmen and sophomores so it's important to keep a presence and not get rattled and we did that tonight."
Plant also got key at-bats in critical situations. With runners on second and third in the second inning, Castellvi lined a sharp single past third baseman Laura Schiffmacher for a 2-0 lead.
Anne Pilger set up Plant's third run with a lead-off walk in the fourth. Castellvi's sacrifice bunt advanced Pilger to second and she came home on Kelly Betts' liner up the middle for a 3-0 lead.
Plant tacked on a run in the sixth and Menard (10-3) took care of the rest. The junior right-hander surrendered only a fourth-inning single, struck out six and walked none. Menard, who tore her ACL in April 2003, didn't allow a runner past second all night.
- BRANDON WRIGHT
3A-9: Jaguars cruise
TAMPA - Left-hander Jennifer Jacobs struck out eight and helped herself with a key RBI double, lifting the Academy of the Holy Names 4-0 against Tampa Catholic.
"I thought I did okay," said Jacobs, who improved to 13-2. "I thought our defense did a great job."
Working with a four-run lead, Jacobs worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth. The Jaguars (17-5) went on to shut down the Crusaders (11-11) in order with two groundouts and a line-out in the seventh.
The Jaguars scored all of their runs in the bottom of the fifth. Emily Rivard singled to left to drive in Valerie Martinez for the first run. Dana Esposito and Jacobs followed with back-to-back RBI doubles. Jacobs scored the final run on TC's second error of the inning on a grounder to short.
- CONCEPCION LEDEZMA
2A-11: Prep bounced
ST. PETERSBURG - Bradenton St. Stephen's won its second district title with a 10-1 win against Tamp Prep. The Falcons set the tone in the top of the first when Lindsey LaValliere drove in Kim Goss with a single to put St. Stephen's ahead 2-0. Tamp Prep starter Mallory Schreiber kept the Terrapins in the game by pitching out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the third, but she could not hold the Falcons back much longer. In the next inning, catcher Kelsey Falcone pulled a line drive into the leftfield corner for a three-run triple.
Tampa Prep scored its lone run in the fifth when Andrea Lewis singled home Hadar Bekhor.
- ROVEN YAU
A-7: Lancers nab No. 10
CLEARWATER - Cambridge clinched its 10th straight district title at the Eddie C. Moore complex, defeating Bayshore 10-0 in five innings.
The Lancers remain undefeated in district competition and moved to 25-2 for the season.
The first three batters for Cambridge crossed the plate in the top of the first inning, starting with Valerie Kessel's leadoff single. Kessel was 3-for-4 with two runs. The Lancers batted around in the third inning with help from three Bayshore errors and scored six off three hits. Cambridge scored on an error again in the top of the fifth to end it.
Bayshore (18-6) came as close as third base in the third inning, but Samantha Becker (21-2) held Cambridge strong with a nine strike-out performance.
