BASKETBALL
+ Strawberry Crest loses heartbreaker
With a last-minute effort by Freedom High School, the best season in the Strawberry Crest basketball program’s history has come to an end.
The Patriots were able to stave off a late Chargers rally and win, 42-39, Feb. 18, to advance to the regional finals against Bartow High School.
With the loss, the Strawberry Crest boys finished their 2013-14 campaign with a program-best 22-7 record — 9-1 in district play.
BASEBALL
+ Area recap
Tuesday night wasn’t good for Strawberry Crest’s baseball team, either.
The boys rallied to tie against Brandon, after finding themselves in a 7-0 hole in three innings but couldn’t answer an extra-innings Eagles run in an 8-7 loss.
The rally came courtesy of a six-run fourth inning, with junior Jake Ralyea and his two RBI leading the way. Crest managed to hold Brandon scoreless through regulation, and tied it up in the bottom of the seventh.
Crest is now on a two-game losing streak, but will face a struggling East Bay squad tomorrow, the same team that Plant City defeated, 6-1, Feb. 18.
This one went well for the Raiders, who were coming off a 3-1 loss at Robinson on Feb. 17, and especially for junior Sawyer Dawson. The two-sport star went 3-for-4 with a double, one run, an RBI and a stolen base.
Staff ace Miguel Martinez gave up six hits, but also fanned six and didn’t give up the Indians’ lone run of the game. That brings his ERA down to 1.20 and gives him 10 strikeouts in 11.2 innings pitched.
Plant City will host Tampa Bay Tech, the most up-and-down team in the district, tomorrow night. The Titans are coming off of a 10-1 win over Blake and a 15-2 loss to Newsome in consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Durant hasn’t seen any action since Feb. 14. But, the Cougars are on a roll: 2-0 to start the season, outscoring opponents Riverview and Spoto 21-3. They’ll get their first real test of the season tomorrow night, however, by traveling to Brandon for their first district game of 2014.
SOFTBALL
+ Lady Raiders topple East Bay
Thanks to some late-game heroics, Plant City overcame a 1-1 tie to pick up a walk-off, 2-1 win Feb. 18, over East Bay.
Much of the Lady Raiders’ offense came from the hot bat of senior Emily Register, who went 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. But freshman Edmilly Molina, in her only at-bat of the game, came up clutch with an RBI single.
Plant City was also excellent on defense, compiling a .957 team fielding percentage on the strength of six perfect fielders; only pitcher Alexis Williams gave up an error, but she also got the win and brought her ERA down to 2.92.
The Lady Raiders are set to host Tampa Bay Tech at 7 p.m. tomorrow night.
Tomorrow’s slate includes two other 7 p.m. games: a red-hot Strawberry Crest team will play host to East Bay, and Durant will travel to Brandon to face a reeling Lady Eagles squad.