They say that conventional wisdom gets thrown out the window when it’s playoff time, and that was the case in both of Wednesday’s district matchups.
The fans at Brandon High School almost saw both high seeds get knocked out in a pair of intense games, but Plant City just managed to scrape its way into the championship game. Strawberry Crest, on the other hand, was shocked by a determined Durant squad.
Though the Lady Cougars had a great day all around, their 10-6 upset victory came down to two superb efforts at the hands of senior Shannon Bell and freshman Sloan Hammons. Bell had a monster of a day at the plate, hitting six RBI (two singles, one double) and giving the offense a spark when it needed one – coming up big early on to help build a 7-1 lead, and hitting a dagger at the end to widen the gap to 9-6.
Hammons pitched most of the game (getting subbed out late, but returning to close it out) and, for the most part, looked as composed as a junior or senior would have. She gave Crest very little to work with until the sixth inning, where she appeared to get flustered after giving up two runs and was replaced.
She came back on in the bottom of the seventh, with the score at 10-6, and got out of a tight jam: two outs, two runners on base, and Cacey Simmons – one of Crest’s best bats – at the plate. Hammons got the strikeout, the win, and the biggest hug near the dugout.
Plant City’s tilt with East Bay wasn’t quite as dramatic or explosive, but no less entertaining. Though the Lady Raiders’ offense could only come up with one run in the first five innings, staff ace Noelle Dietrich made much quicker work of the Lady Indians – hanging onto a three-hit shutout until the sixth inning.
East Bay got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth, thanks to a fielding error at third base, and subsequently took a 2-1 lead on an RBI single. The Lady Raiders tied it up in the bottom of the inning, but the Lady Indians opened up the seventh by ripping off back-to-back RBI and taking a 4-2 lead.
Plant City managed to tie it up in the bottom frame, then got a runner on first. Makenzie Allen saved the day with a walkoff RBI triple, securing a 5-4 victory and a spot in the championship game.
The district title will be determined tomorrow at 7 p.m. at Brandon High School.