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BOB PUTNAMPHU's ace strikes out 17 Cougars and almost throws a perfect game in the win.
PALM HARBOR - Dani Hofer grips the ball inside her glove. She stares at the catcher. In one quick motion, Hofer whips her right arm around like a windmill. The ball whistles out of her hand.
The batter takes a mighty swing. Too late! The ball pops into the catcher's mitt.
Strike 3.
Welcome to the fun and fury of Friday's region final between Countryside and Palm Harbor University.
More than a game, this was a softball showdown between two power pitchers, Bree Spence of Countryside and Hofer of PHU.
This time, Hofer had the better results. The junior threw a complete-game shutout, allowing two hits and striking out 17 to lead the Hurricanes to a 2-0 victory.
Her counterpart, Spence, allowed nine hits and had one strikeout.
"I worked hard and knew I'd have to have a good game," Hofer said. "But 17 strikeouts. I never expected that."
Her coach, Chuck Poetter, did.
"Dani is Dani," Poetter said. "For her to get 17 strikeouts is nothing out of the ordinary. That's a shame because she is a high school junior and most coaches would give their eye-teeth to have a pitcher strike out 17 batters. But I just come to expect that. She's brilliant out there."
Hofer's repertoire - riseball, dropball, curve and changeup - is made more effective by her velocity (usually in the low 60s) and her imposing size (5 feet, 11 inches). From 40 feet away, all of this is enough to make opposing hitters uneasy.
"It can get in your head, but you can't let it bother you," Countryside's Allison Kidman said, referring to Hofer's penchant for strikeouts.
As Hofer (20-2) kept mowing down batters, the student body paid homage to her. A group of students pinned K signs on the fence behind rightfield. Another throng of bare-chested fans emerged from the outfield and stood behind home plate. With blue letters painted on their torsos, they lined up to spell: HOFER IS GOD. Still, Hofer had to wait before becoming immortal. With one out in the top of the seventh inning, Countryside broke up Hofer's bid for a perfect game with back-to-back singles. Hofer got the next batter to go down swinging before facing her archrival, Spence.
With the count 2-and-2, Hofer reached back and threw a heater. Spence took a mighty swing.
Too late! Strike 3.