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Spring Hill Darlings bury competition
The team of 7- and 8-year-olds wins the state tournament by outscoring its opponents 94-18.
By KELLIE DIXON
Published July 13, 2007
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[Photo submitted by Glenn Primavera]
Skylar Heyward and Abbey Primavera celebrate their victory.
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The Spring Hill Darlings were on a mission.
The team's core group hadn't forgotten the frustration of finishing second in last year's state tournament, and this time around the older, stronger Darlings squad took care of business.
The 7- and 8-year-old Dixie League softball squad mercy-ruled each team it met and went undefeated to claim the state crown.
The Spring Hill Darlings advance to represent Florida in just the second Dixie Darlings World Series. The tournament starts next weekend in West Stanly, N.C.
The Darlings went on a tear during the state tournament in Sneads, starting with their first game - a 26-6 win against Wesley Chapel - and outscored their opponents 94-18.
Eight of the Darlings players - Taylor Russell, Amanda Leyden, Breana Desmond, Abby Marshall, Sarah Brown, Lauren Jones, Celine Kordon and Abbey Primavera - returned from last year's team and combined with newcomers Alyssa Gonzalez, Skylar Heyward, Brittany Howell and Kama Woodall to make an explosive unit.
"We played some really good teams, but I think our team just stood out with our bats," manager Melissa Russell said.
Just how potent were the Darlings' bats? The team cycled through 10 hitters an inning fairly regularly. And every member of the team hit at least one home run during the tournament.
But the best part about the win, Russell said, was that the team redeemed itself against Belleview - the same squad that knocked the Spring Hill team out last year.
"We waited a year for this," Russell said. The players "were pretty psyched up about it."
Now the team is focusing on practice and fundraising. To help the Darlings, call league director Rob Russell at 352 684-1759
Kellie Dixon can be reached at kdixon@sptimes.com or (352) 544-9480.
[Last modified July 12, 2007, 20:17:17]
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by Hope (Grandma)
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07/17/07 06:28 AM
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Go get them Rocket! Skylar has been playing softball since the age of 4. She loves her team and the fun they share! What great games. Tremendous job by all! World Series here they come!
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by Andy
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07/13/07 04:59 PM
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Go Kama Go! She's my niece of course! Sounds like a powerhouse of a team!
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by kama
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07/13/07 11:30 AM
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I love youre team . It looks like a good team.
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