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ROD GIPSONLancers' sophomore shortstop and her team make up for last season's shakiness at state.
TAMPA - Brittany Williams was nervous before Cambridge's Class A state semifinal game against Sheridan Hills Christian. In fact, she even ended her school day Thursday in the batting cage with an extra hour of work.
It turned out to be a lot of worrying for nothing.
Williams, a sophomore shortstop, led a Lancers hit parade, going 3-for-4 as Cambridge defeated Sheridan Hills 7-1 to advance to today's state championship game.
"I was really nervous my first time up," said Williams, a .468 hitter during the regular season. "I wanted a hit, but I was nervous with the game and the big crowd."
The nerves didn't last long as Williams' first-inning single scored Valerie Kessel to begin Cambridge's scoring. Williams later added two more singles and scored twice in the victory. The cushy margin was more than enough for Lancers standout pitcher Samantha Becker.
"Her (Becker) pitching gives us so much confidence," Williams said of Becker. "Sometimes we may slack off a little because she's so good so it makes us focus on defense more."
A focused player is exactly what coach Raymond Tapia gets with Williams.
"With her (Williams), you're going to get an unselfish player," Tapia said. "She's going to play solid defense in the field, and she's going to hit the ball at the plate."
Williams added that while her nerves calmed, something else took over: erasing the memory of last season's state semifinal loss. Williams and her teammates have won 29 of 31 this season and need one more to win the Lancers' first state title since 1998.
"Last year we were really nervous and inexperienced," she said.
"Winning it this year would mean a ton to us. Just to win, especially because of last year."