Williston edges West Nassau

By ROD GIPSON
Published May 9, 2006

PLANT CITY - Gabrielle Harris hit a three-run home run early and Taylor Rice's single knocked in Margaret Brown late as Williston opened the Class 3A semifinals with a 4-3 win against West Nassau.

Harris' second-inning homer gave Williston (20-5) a 3-0 lead, though West Nassau (27-4) rebounded with a run in the second and two more in the third inning. The game remained tied at 3 until the sixth when Rice's single scored Brown. Williston pitcher Roxzanne Rawls picked up her 20th win after holding the Warriors to five hits while striking out one and walking none. Brown and Nellie Gladwell had two hits each for Williston.

FROSTPROOF 3, MIAMI GULLIVER PREP 1: Frostproof used a Samantha Smith no-hitter to advance to the Class 3A final. While Smith did control Gulliver's bats, the Raiders didn't help themselves, making three errors, including two that led to two Frostproof runs in the third.

Smith was cruising throughout but had to fight off the Raiders in the sixth inning, when Gulliver Prep got a runner to third base off a walk and an error before scoring on a sacrifice fly to cut the Bulldogs' lead to 2-1.

But Faith Franklin opened the sixth with a double to centerfield before later scoring on a close play at the plate to hand Frostproof (20-8) a huge insurance run. Smith (12-4) finished the game an inning later on a strikeout, her ninth of the game. Besides the sixth inning when the Raiders scored their run, Smith didn't allow a runner past first base, though she did yield three walks.

ORLANDO PINE CASTLE CHRISTIAN 4, JACKSONVILLE EAGLE'S VIEW 2: With the Class A semifinal scoreless in the sixth inning, Pine Castle's Sonja Hanson doubled before scoring off Leah Ritchhart's single. Pine Castle added another run when Lizzie Houstoun scored on a wild pitch. But Eagle View bounced back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to send the game tied to the seventh inning. But Hanson struck again, connecting on a two-run home run to send the Eagles (23-4) to the state final. Ritchhart pitched a complete game, striking out five and allowing five hits.

CLASS 6A: Friday - Spruce Creek vs. Melbourne Eau Gallie, 2 p.m. Palm Beach Gardens vs. Miami Palmetto, noon. Saturday - Final, 1 p.m.

CLASS 5A: Friday - Pace vs. Auburndale, 5 p.m. Chamberlain vs. West Boca Raton, 7. Saturday - Final, 3 p.m.

CLASS 4A: Wednesday - Navarre vs. Palatka, 5 p.m. Bartow vs. Cocoa, 7. Thursday - Final, 7 p.m.

CLASS 3A: Today's final - Williston vs. Frostproof, 7 p.m.

CLASS 2A: Wednesday - Wewahitchka vs. Jacksonville Bishop Snyder, 2 p.m. Mount Dora Bible vs. Hollywood Christian, noon. Thursday - Final, 5 p.m.

CLASS A: Today's final - Hollywood Sheridan Hills Christian vs. Orlando Pine Castle Christian, 5 p.m.

[Last modified May 9, 2006, 00:42:06]