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LAURA LEEAfter scoring one run during the previous eight innings, Countryside gets four to take care of Seminole 5-1.
SEMINOLE - It was evident neither Seminole nor Countryside was ready for their season to end. The teams played through extra innings, flirting with the idea of seeing the sunset.
The Warhawks played at home and had "24" written in chalk on the soil outside of their dugout. The number represented how many wins they would have if they could pull off another one against Countryside on Thursday.
Instead, it represents how many they could have had.
The Cougars held off a Seminole team that threatened to score in all but one inning to win 5-1 in nine innings in the Class 5A region quarterfinals.
Throughout the game, both teams had chances to score. The Warhawks loaded the bases in the second but couldn't get anyone home.
Seminole (23-4) stranded nine and Countryside (25-2) seven.
As the contest wore on, it seemed destined it would come down to one run. But when Countryside went up by one at the top of the eighth, the lead didn't last long. Heather Wiley hit a two-out double to center to score Christal Kotchman.
Tied at one entering the ninth, fans started to wonder if the end would beat the sunset. It did. Countryside wasted little time pulling away, scoring four runs. Sarah Yates started the rally with a hard hopper down the middle.
Alyssa Allbritten followed, dropping a single in centerfield, moving Yates to third. Jessica Byrn then laid down a bunt that paralyzed the defense.
"(Byrn) did a good job hitting the ball far enough to pull the catcher off the plate, and it was clear," Yates said.
Yates scored easily, putting the Cougars up by one, and they just kept going. Ally Kidman doubled, scoring Allbritten, and Gionna DiSalvatore doubled to center, scoring two more.
DiSalvatore was caught between second and third to end the rally.
Although the Warhawks got a couple on base in the bottom of the ninth, they couldn't answer the Cougars' spurt.
Countryside coach Kaylyn Bayly said she finally got what she was looking for.
Just about everyone on the team contributed to the win. Kidman, Byrn, Allbritten and DiSalvatore had timely hits. "The bats just came alive," Bayly said.
Warhawk junior Natalie Bale (10-2) got the start and kept the Cougars' bats cold early in the game. Countryside's Bree Spence (19-2) was strong for the Cougars with her defense backing her up.
Tuesday, the Cougars play Fort Myers, which defeated Bradenton Lakewood Ranch. Bayly said she's looking forward to playing a team from outside of the county. There will be little if any history between the teams, she said.
"I think it's going to be good to play somebody else," Bayly said.