By TERRY JONES, Times Correspondent
Published July 26, 2005
BLOOMINGDALE - After losing 6-3 to Cape Coral on Sunday, Plant City came back Monday night to eliminate Northside (Carrollwood) 6-5 in the loser's bracket of the state championship softball tournament for 11-year-olds.
Plant City is scheduled to play Cape Coral tonight at 6 for the state title. A win by Plant City would force a second game at 8 for the championship.
Northside scored four runs off two hits in the third for a 4-1 lead. Plant City helped score one of the runs with its only error. Nicole Leon started the fourth-inning rally for Northside after reaching base on a walk and coming home on an RBI single by Rachel Gonzalez.
Plant City came back with two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth, and with the game tied 5-all in the sixth, Makensie McAvou reached first, then made it home on an RBI double from Maria Garcia.
MAJOR SOFTBALL: Bloomingdale beat Bayshore/West Tampa 5-2 to win the state championship at DeFuniak Springs. Bloomingdale grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks in part to a double by Devyn White (3-for-3) that scored two.
Starter Jennifer Owens pitched a complete game, giving up two earned runs on seven hits while striking out seven.
Bloomingdale was 5-0 in the tournament and is 10-0 this summer. The team plays the champion from West Virginia in the southern regional at Gulfport Little League this weekend.
SENIOR SOFTBALL: Citrus Park beat Oviedo 8-0 to win the park's third consecutive state championship. Morgan Grove was the difference, pitching a complete-game one-hitter and hitting a three-run home run in the first inning.
Citrus Park opens the southern regional at Lady Smith, Va., against the state champion from West Virginia on Friday at 4 p.m.
9-10 SOFTBALL: Palma Ceia/Interbay (9-1) fell 7-2 to Plant City on Sunday in the semifinals of the state tournament at East Orange Little League in Orlando. Plant City lost 7-6 to Naples in the finals.
Section 7 wrapup
Citrus Park's junior softball team and Northside's 11-year-old baseball team won titles over the weekend at the Little League Section 7 tournament at Crystal River.
Citrus Park slammed Meadowlawn 7-0 to finish 3-0 in pool play and advance to the state tournament this weekend at Fort Myers. The win came after two one-run games Saturday, including a 10-9, eight-inning thriller against West Pasco.
"They came out to play Sunday," Citrus Park coach Al Bowman said. "They really got it back together."
Erika Bowman pitched a complete-game, five-hit shutout. Bowman wasn't shy at the plate either, with a double, triple, two runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Brittany Graff had two hits and an RBI.
Northside pounded Seminole 9-3 in its final game to finish 3-0 in pool play to advance to the state tournament this weekend at Port St. Lucie.
Tyler Koch hit a two-run home run and Mitchell McNall and Joey Brabham added solo home runs. Justin Odom and Josh Scareberry both doubled in the second inning.
"We don't have any superstars," Northside coach Bob Coffman said. "Every game somebody steps up and makes it happen."
Tampa Bay (9-and 10-year old baseball), Citrus Park (major baseball), Palma Ceia/Bayshore (junior baseball) and Palma Ceia/Bayshore/Tampa Bay (senior baseball) all were eliminated at sectionals.
American Legion
TAMPA - The Ravens Baseball Club (Alonso) moved one step closer to the state baseball tournament with a 7-6 win against the Terriers Baseball Club (Hillsborough) Monday.
D.J. Fuentes' two-run single in the seventh put the Ravens up 7-6 and capped a three-run inning. Alex Panteliodis held the Terriers scoreless over the final four innings to pick up the win in relief.
The teams play tonight at 6 at Hillsborough and should the Ravens win, Alonso advances to state Aug.3-7 at Clearwater's Jack Russell Stadium. If the Terriers win, there will be a deciding game Wednesday.
--Times staff writer Brandon Wright and Times correspondent Thomas Simonetti contributed to this report.
