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By PETE YOUNG
© St. Petersburg Times, published May 9, 2001
SEMINOLE -- In the top of the second inning, Countryside's Chris Gajan launched a two-run home run to leftfield off Seminole's T.J. Large, giving the Cougars a shocking 2-0 lead in the Class 5A, Region 3 title game and sending the prep baseball world careening toward chaos.
In the bottom of the second, Seminole ferociously restored the natural order.
An eight-run Warhawks' eruption, topped off by Bobby Wilson's grand slam, propelled Seminole to a 13-3, six-inning victory, its 30th win without a defeat and the first state tournament berth in school history.
The Warhawks, ranked No. 1 in the nation all season by Baseball America, will play Gonzalez Tate (28-5), a 1-0 winner over Panama City Bay, in a state semifinal May 18 at Legends Field in Tampa.
"State championship, that's been the team goal all along," Wilson said after signing a few autographs for some kids. "It's unbelieveable (that Seminole never has reached the state tournament), with all the good teams and players that come out of here."
Perhaps in part because Seminole (20-10) has overcome so much adversity -- the Warhawks lost star shortstop Bryan Bass over a residency issue and subsequently forfeited their first 10 games, and leading hitter and standout pitcher Ryan Dixon later was lost for the season to a torn labrum -- Tuesday's early deficit was brushed aside almost instantly.
Wilson (3-for-4, 3 runs, 4 RBI) led off the bottom of the second with a line single off Countryside ace Mike White (6-2), and then the Cougars opened the door for Seminole with mistakes. Gajan booted Errol Blumer's hard one-hopper and then White hesitated to throw the ball on John Killalea's comebacker, loading the bases.
Phil Stillwell smacked a grounder down the first-base line for a two-run double to tie the game, and after a groundout, Large (12-0) singled in Stillwell to put Seminole up 3-2.
A groundout and two hit batsmen later, it was 4-2 Warhawks and the bases were loaded as Wilson stepped up for his second at-bat of the inning. On the first pitch, the senior catcher stroked his second grand slam in eight days.
"It was a changeup. I was looking fastball, actually," Wilson said of his centerfield blast. "But he just kind of left it up.
"We've been playing good ball lately. Our intensity level's been up, and we've just been playing hard-nosed baseball."
In the sixth, back-to-back doubles by Wilson and Blumer and a single by Killalea invoked the 10-run rule.
Countryside (19-12) solved just about every team but Seminole this season. After a 3-5 start, the Cougars went 16-7, with four of the seven losses coming to Seminole.
"We had a great year, we had a great run," Countryside coach Steve Sharts said. "We accomplished a lot more than I think (the players) anticipated they would."