Sports: Dunedin quietly approaches title

Helping to make Section 4 big league champion Dunedin more obscure is the schedule. While Little League's other four age brackets are involved in sectional play this week, Dunedin is at the state tournament.

Despite the low profile, Dunedin -- a team loaded with accomplished high school players -- is on the threshold of capturing the state title. Sunday at the state tournament in Weston, the District 12 champions swept two games.

In the first game, Dunedin defeated Niceville 8-6. Shawn Williams was 3-for-4 with a two-run home run, and Billy Phillips had a three-run homer. Jon Shapland pitched the first 52/3 innings and Chris Pachik earned the save. The second game pitted Dunedin against Ocoee, the team it lost to in the state final last year.

Ocoee staked a 4-2 lead, but Dunedin rallied to score a run in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings to win 5-4.

Ryan Graham drove in Jon Booth with the winning run, and Bryan Banks had two run-scoring singles. John Irving earned the win with two innings of scoreless relief for starter Mike White.

Dunedin will play for the title today at 6 p.m. against the winner of Monday's game between Niceville and Ocoee.

Meanwhile, rain has plagued the juniors in sectional play in Port Charlotte. All of Sunday's action was rained out, and the only game played Saturday was Seminole's 9-1 win over San Carlos.

Ryan Reilly pitched a complete-game five-hitter for Seminole, striking out four and walking none. Gene Civello was 2-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI, and Brian Papowski was 2-for-3.

In seniors at Dunedin's Englebert Complex, Pinellas Park National is doing it the hard way while Palm Harbor is doing it the easy way.

After dropping its opening sectional game 3-2 to Venice, Pinellas Park National won two straight to earn a rematch with Venice. The winner will need to beat Palm Harbor twice to earn the championship.

Palm Harbor, after falling behind 6-0 in the top of the first inning of its first game Sunday against San Carlos, scored in every inning to win 16-6 in six innings.

Brian DeGonzague was superb in relief for Palm Harbor, striking out nine in five innings while allowing just two hits and no walks. Ed Garton, Clay Perkett, Marchello Mennone and Kevin Morris had multiple-hit games for Palm Harbor.

In its second game Sunday, Palm Harbor beat Venice 4-0 on a complete-game, seven-strikeout, two-hitter by Cody Rainer. Perkett, Ryan Harvey and John Petika had two hits, and Chris Heil had a two-run home run.

In minors play at Countryside, Northeast dropped its first two games and was eliminated, and in majors at Cross Bayou, Seminole lost its opening game 4-0 to South Fort Myers.

John Tolisano pitched a complete game, struck out 10 and hit a two-run home run for South Fort Myers.

The winner of the Seminole-West Pasco loser's bracket game will need to win three more to capture the sectional title.

Northeast earns revenge, trip to state tournament

Like most of the area's top 14- to 16-year-old softball players, members of the Northeast senior team also play on traveling club teams that eat up significant amounts of their summer.

But for all Little League players, this is the time to put aside club allegiances.

For Northeast, last weekend was also a time to settle an old score.

A year ago in sectional play, Northeast lost 7-6 in eight innings to Cape Coral in the championship game. Cape Coral went on to the state tournament and Northeast stayed home.

Saturday, Northeast got its revenge with a 6-2 win over Cape Coral, then beat Dunedin 6-0 Sunday night at Cross Bayou in Seminole to win the Section 4 tournament and earn a trip to Oviedo for the state tournament.

"They've come back to play, and we've been planning for the last six months to make this title run," coach Steve Fisher said.

Northeast, which lost only three games during the regular season, won easily behind pitchers Crystal Folwell and Lizzy Giroud.

Folwell started each game, facing the opposing team's lineup the first time through, then Giroud followed in the middle innings. Folwell then returned to finish both wins.

Folwell, who led the county with six home runs during the prep season, hit a two-run homer against Dunedin. Mallory Fisher added a solo shot. In the semifinal win over Cape Coral, Rachael Anderson and Tonya Scaringe hit balls to the base of the fence in centerfield, narrowly missing homers.

In the two wins, Northeast played sparkling defense, committing just one error. Tiffany Swain provided the highlight Sunday with a diving stop and throw from her knees that kept the shutout intact.

"These girls are something," Fisher said. "There's no telling just how far we can go. The girls have blocked out the next three weekends just in case."

In junior softball at Cross Bayou, Pinellas Park National fell in two games to West Pasco and Fort Myers American. Greater Naples won the sectional.

Greater Naples also remained in control of major softball at Cross Bayou, staying on top of the winner's bracket. Cape Coral and Safety Harbor were rained out Monday night, but will play today for the right to face Naples in the title game Wednesday.

In 9-10 softball, Cross Bayou needs a win at home today over North Naples to advance to the championship game against Cape Coral.

- Compiled by staff writers Pete Young and John Schwarb.

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