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HUDSON - A year ago on the same field, Tarpon Springs saw its season end when ace Raleigh Evans threw a no-hitter ... then still lost in the final inning 2-1.
But Matt Klimis wasn't worried when he took a 2-0 lead into the seventh against Wesley Chapel. Another inning and two strikeouts later, Klimis had a two-hitter and a 2-0 win, putting Tarpon Springs in the regional playoffs for the first time since 1998.
"We knew going into this game we were going to win it, I thought," said Klimis (9-2), who gave up singles in the first and second innings and nothing after that, striking out nine. "We just had to make sure we did it."
Klimis' shutout wasn't the strongest pitching of the day. Ridgewood's Erik Bua pitched a five-inning perfect game in a 12-0 victory against Zephyrhills. The Spongers and Rams (21-5), the district's top two seeds who split two regular-season meetings, meet for the Class 4A, District 10 crown Friday night at 7.
"This was a pressure-cooker for us. If there was one team we didn't want to face, it was Wesley Chapel," said Spongers coach Dan Genna, whose team beat the Wildcats in 10 innings and lost in eight during the regular season. "Matt stepped it up as a senior, and I told the kids he didn't win the game today. He won it in the last four days, mentally."
Tarpon Springs (19-7) was held to five singles by Wesley Chapel's Kevin Holmes and David Stafford, but two simple runs were all the Spongers needed.
Tarpon scored in the first when Tim Gayson walked, stole second and took third as the catcher's throw wound up in centerfield. Klimis followed with a two-out single up the middle for a 1-0 lead. Gayson scored the Spongers' other run in the third, sparking a two-out rally with an infield single. Holmes walked Bobby Hartman with the bases loaded to score the only other run.
For the Spongers, the good news about Friday is they won't face Bua, who threw a complete-game no-hitter in his last start against East Lake before Wednesday's perfect game. He struck out eight Bulldogs, allowing only three balls out of the infield and needing just 46 pitches.
"I was just hoping to keep it going," said Bua, a right-hander who improved to 10-0 and lowered his ERA to 0.74. "We wanted to win to make it four years in the playoffs. We came out strong and hopefully it can continue for us."