One more win puts seniors in final

A day after costly errors led to the team's first loss, the Dade City seniors look to get back into the championship hunt.

By JAMAL THALJI and STEVE LEE

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 7, 2000

DADE CITY -- Senior All-Star coach Danny Filley is pretty blunt about Wednesday's 4-2 loss against Pinecrest.

"Errors, errors," he said. "That's what lost the game."

And ended the District 4 seniors team's three-game winning streak at Lake Wales. The team had four errors in all, two coming from errors by the catcher overthrowing first and second base. But a rematch with Pinecrest at 1 p.m. Saturday awaits -- if Dade City can get past tonight's game against the winner of the Lake Wales/Lakeland Orange contest.

Offensively, Dade City was led by Matt Prowant, who pitched in the loss but was 4-for-4 at the plate. Sonny Glover went 3-for-4 and brought in an RBI, as did Corey Filley.

Dade City opened the series with a 13-2 win over Zephyrhills, then narrowly defeated host Lake Wales 3-2 before beating Plant City 5-1.

"We've been crushing the ball," the coach said.

Entering Wednesday's contest, Prowant was averaging a team-high .583 and Glover was hitting .545. Jhavard Bailey and Filley each averaged .500.

Bailey, Prowant and Matt Smith each have a win on the mound, while closer Chris Nyman has finished up in all three games.

Dade City's junior baseball team (1-2) also played three games, but was eliminated in District 4 after Monday's 10-9 extra-inning loss to Lake Wales in Plant City.

Regardless of the outcome, Dade City coach Randy Maggard will not soon forget that contest.

"It was a great ballgame," Maggard said. "Probably the best game I ever coached (only) to lose."

Dade City trailed 9-5 in the top of the seventh, but Michael Onyskin and Mitchell Dunaway each had a base hit to key a four-run rally. Jared Castro slid home with the tying run on Timothy Jackson's suicide squeeze bunt.

The game ended after more than four hours on a pair of Lake Wales hits in the eighth.

To report news from Dade City Little League, contact Jamal Thalji at (352) 521-5757, ext. 25; by fax at (352) 521-0290; or by e-mail at thalji@sptimes.com.

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