ZEPHYRHILLS - Zephyrhills coach Pat Moul said her team had a case of the butterflies Thursday, but it certainly didn't show. Behind the pitching of senior Jessica Reese and the combined hitting of her teammates, the Bulldogs impressively advanced to the second round matchup against Bartow with a 6-0 win over Springstead.
"When my team is playing well and hitting like it did tonight, there's no pressure," Reese said. "I could just relax and pitch."
Reese (16-6), who entered with a 1.14 ERA, tossed a four-hitter. Using a mix of fastballs and baffling changeups, she rarely encountered any trouble. Reese closed particularly strong, striking out five of the final six batters she faced.
"She kept us off-balance," Springstead coach Craig Swartout said. "She threw the right pitch at the right time."
Zephyrhills (17-7) pounded out 10 hits off Eagles pitcher Stephanie Cox (13-14), led by the three-RBI effort of catcher Caryn Allison, who singled in a run in the fifth and doubled home two more in the sixth. Extra-base hits also came from Kim Hapeman, Sarah Johnson and Terra Rosensweig.
"Everybody hit, that's the key," Moul said. "Once one person hits, it's kind of contagious."
Springstead (13-14), hung tough until the sixth despite having a roster with two seniors.
"What we take from this is that all the young players know they can compete," Swartout said. "The innings are important."
A: Lions ousted
SPRING HILL - Hernando Christian's first trip into the postseason lasted five innings.
Lakeland Santa Fe Catholic jumped on the Lions early and often, cruising to a 16-1 win at Anderson Snow Park.
"I think they were on the edge," Hernando Christian coach Susan Seidelmann. "Those first two innings hurt."
In the first two, the Crimson Hawks (16-5) jumped out to an 11-0 lead. The barrage was equal part Santa Fe's doing (five hits) and Hernando Christian's (five errors). In the two frames Santa Fe sent 19 hitters to the plate.
After that the Lions (8-9) settled down and starting pitcher Meredith Hanshaw threw more strikes, but still could not catch a break. Two unearned runs scored in the third to make it 13-0 after a dropped fly ball that should have been the third out.
"Meredith was getting more determined, but it was a little too late," Seidelmann said.
The Lions avoided a shutout in the bottom of the third when an infield single from Mary Ellen Langley - the team's only hit - scored Ginny Wilfong to make it 13-1.
Santa Fe scored its final runs in the fourth, with the big blow a two-run inside-the-park home run by Theresa McLaughlin, who lofted a fly ball high over leftfielder Heidi Riley and never stopped running.
McLaughlin, a senior pitcher, struck out 11 and walked two in the shortened complete game. Hernando Christian committed a dozen errors.
- JOHN SCHWARB
5A: Gators shut out
LAKELAND - Nikki Wallace allowed five hits and struck out eight to lead Lakeland Jenkins past Land O'Lakes 4-0. Wallace escaped trouble in the second when Land O'Lakes had runners on second and third with no outs and in the seventh when two were on with no outs.
Wallace got a groundout to third, a strikeout and a groundout to shortstop to end the threat. In the seventh, she struck out the side after allowing two singles.
The Eagles scored one run in the first and two in the second against Rhiannon Bogaert.
- THE LEDGER
3A: Pasco survives
Pasco coach Shamalene Broner called timeout with a Williston runner on third base and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Neither team had scored and Broner had a message to deliver.
"I brought everybody in, even the outfielders," Broner said. "I told them we were not going to lose this game in the bottom of the seventh.
"No way."
The Pirates heeded Broner's advice by getting out of that jam and rallying for a 4-0 win in the 12th.
With Williston's Megan Goolsby at third base, Ebony Davis hit a ball to centerfield. Jami Pass, playing in tight, took a few steps back, made the catch and fired home to double-up Goolsby, who was tagged out by catcher Kalee Burchfield.
Pasco (12-14) advances to Tuesday's region semifinal at Orlando Lake Highland Prep.
Freshman Liz Garcia (6-9) went the distance for the win. Pasco only had four hits, but the made the most of their three in the 12th.
Jamie Endress drew a leadoff walk with Pass and Amy Herndon following with bunts, Pass reaching on an error, to load the bases.
Endress scored on Abbie Boyd's sacrifice fly, Heather Stroud singled to score Pass, pinch-runner Sarah Fenton came in on a Jessie Sanchez single. Stroud scored the final run on Garcia's groundout.
