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Coach proud of Pirates' rallyBy CAREY FREEMAN © St. Petersburg Times, published February 21, 2001 CRYSTAL RIVER -- Like a beaming mother who just watched her child take its first steps, Crystal River's Laura Wingate is a proud woman. Proud because of the growth she has seen from her team -- not just in the last week, but in one game. In a 9-4 win over Belleview last week, the coach saw it all. She saw her Pirates stumble early, regain their footing, then take major steps forward with a huge effort in the final two innings. "It really felt good winning that game," Wingate said. "We've progressed a lot. In the first inning of our first game (preseason, against Pasco on Feb. 10), we had six errors. But, every inning after, we've played tougher defense and started hitting. "Winning that game (against Belleview) was big," Wingate said. "We were losing 4-1 and we came back and won. And we didn't win because they made errors -- we hit the ball." In what looks to be a strong year for local teams, Crystal River seems well on its way to playing the kind of softball that earned it a playoff berth last season. Though they lost some key components, the Pirates found the answers in the late innings against Belleview. Trailing 4-1 entering the top of the sixth inning, Crystal River exploded for 11 hits and seven runs over the final two innings. It was powered by of Courtney Ryals (4-for-4, 2 RBI), Alicia Young (3-for-4, 1 RBI), Rachel Miniard (2-for-3) and pitcher Cassie Pearson (2-for-2), who held the Rattlers scoreless over the final three innings. A STAR IS BORN? We won't know for sure until Lecanto's Emily Bayer hits the meat of the regular-season schedule, but the sensational sophomore may be the best kept secret in Citrus County. Bayer, who started for the junior varsity last season, has emerged as one of the area's top pitchers in the early part of the season. She has led the Panthers to a 2-1 record, totalling 36 strikeouts with just four walks in her first three games. While Amy Lilley isn't quite ready to compare Bayer to former star pitcher Michelle Rowe, the Lecanto coach is pleased with Bayer's emergence. "I've been keeping track of her," Lilley said. "She's taken pitching lessons all summer, and she's worked hard." Bayer started the season with 14 strikeouts in a 7-3 win over Dunnellon and came back with 10 strikeouts in a 2-1 loss to Pasco. In her most recent performance, Bayer struck out 12 batters in a 5-1 victory over Ocala Vanguard. The best part for Lilley is that Bayer's emergence as the team's ace has freed up Erin Bailey -- one of the Panthers' most accomplished female athletes -- for duties at third base and has further solidified Lecanto's defense. TALENTED AND DEEP: Scott Waters was well aware of his starting nine's talent. Now Waters knows he can count on his backups, too. Citrus is 1-0 after its 9-2 win over Wesley Chapel last Friday. As expected, the Citrus starters had their way with the young Wildcats, but it was the play of the substitutes in the final two innings that left the biggest impression on Waters. "We're blessed with a lot of talent this year," Waters said. "We played our strongest players for the first two innings, then we brought in six subs. They didn't look too bad either. They had a couple errors, but they hung in there and played pretty well. Those kids could be starting at most schools." Tabitha Schruffer and Megan Rall combined for the win. Schruffer pitched four perfect innings ( 2 strikeouts) before giving way to Rall, who allowed 3 hits, 2 unearned runs and struck out 2 batters.
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