Lancers continue routing ways with a 7-1 victory in semifinal.
By EMILY NIPPS
Published May 21, 2004
TAMPA - After a season of very little competition and lots of blowout victories, Cambridge expected a change of pace at the state tournament.
The Lancers are still waiting.
They defeated Hollywood Sheridan Hills Christian 7-1 in a Class A semifinal Thursday night.
With the exception of a couple of small rallies - two hits to start the first inning and a single and home run in the second - the Sharks couldn't match the Lancers' quickness and power.
Cambridge sent a message in the first inning with four runs and seemed relaxed after it realized where the game was headed.
"I thought it would be a little harder than this," Cambridge junior pitcher Samantha Becker said. "They were a little better than the average team we faced, I guess."
Becker (25-1), who transferred from perennial powerhouse Countryside, struck out 16, allowed five hits and walked one. The sixth-inning home run by Sharks catcher Sarah Guehring was a first for Becker.
"I was dumbfounded," Becker said. "I really didn't expect it. But oh, well. I got over it."
The Lancers' hitting helped, as did seven Sharks errors.
Sophomores Valerie Kessel and Brittany Williams each went 3-for-4, contributing to the Lancers' eight hits overall. Williams scored two runs and drove in a run, and Kessel, Brooke Curtis and Kendra Hurless each had RBIs.
"Overall, they played solid all the way around," Cambridge coach Raymond Tapia said. "Even though they scored seven runs at state, I'm greedy. I wanted more."
Despite having a fairly tame semifinal, it would have been easy to get distracted by the hoopla at Ed Radice Sports Complex, Kessel said. The Lancers typically draw 20-30 fans at games, but about 100 watched their semifinal.
"It's pretty exciting, but nerve-wracking at the same time," Kessel said.
"Everyone is coming to watch you and you have to play your game. It's easy to be distracted by the crowd and all the fans yelling at you, so we have to stay focused."
Cambridge likely will face a tougher opponent in today's 5 p.m. title game against Belle Glade Glades Day, which defeated Laurel Hill 7-3 in the other semifinal.
