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Indians playoff bound
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| Fort White High pitcher Taylor Douglass delivers a pitch during the Indians 3-2 District 5-3A semifinals victory over Williston High on Wednesday in Fort White. Fort White plays P.K. Yonge School today in the district title game. CHRIS WHITE/Lake City Reporter |
Fort White edges Williston 3-2 in extra innings.
By CHRIS WHITE
cwhite@lakecityreporter.com
FORT WHITE — A dejected Amber Harrell came into the Fort White High dugout after the fifth inning, concerned her error, which allowed Williston High to tie the game 2-2, may wind up costing her team a victory.
“She just came to me and just said, ‘Coach...,’” Fort White coach Frank Howell said. “I just told her she had to believe in herself and she had to trust herself to play the game the best she knew how.”
Harrell took his advice, knocking in what would be the game-winning run with a double to the center field wall in the top of the eighth inning before single-handedly taking care of all three outs in the bottom of the inning on Wednesday to secure a 3-2 victory, a spot in today’s
District 5-3A title game against top-seeded P.K. Yonge School and a state playoffs berth.
Not bad for a single inning.
“I just wanted to do everything I could after my error,” Harrell said. “I just tried not to get down on myself after that and come back out and play.”
Harrell’s shot to center field in the top of the eighth dropped just feet shy of a home run, and it brought in Alexi Hodson, who got on base with a single to left field, to break the extra-innings tie.
“I was just praying that the ball would drop,” Harrell said. “I kept saying, please, please, please just drop.”
She then caught a fly out and caught a runner trying to tag up for a double play in the bottom of the inning, and finished the game off by
grabbing a ground ball and carrying it over to first to make the tag herself.
While Harrell stole the show in the final minutes of the game, Fort White’s win was anchored by Indians ace Taylor Douglass, who earned eight strikeouts while giving up nine hits and only one walk. Three times she stranded Williston runners at third base, including once in the fourth inning when she pitched two consecutive strikeouts to
diffuse the situation.
“I think it was the greatest amount of pressure I’ve ever felt on a team,” Douglass said. “It was definitely nerve-wracking.”
The Indians had two fewer hits against Howard than the Red Devils had against Douglass, but the Williston pitcher only caught three Fort White batter swinging.
Harrell’s error was one of only a few in the game, but nearly each was exploited in the low-scoring affair.
The Indians’ first run came after a Williston overthrow at first base in the top of the first inning. The gaffe allowed Jordan Spires to score from second to give the Indians a lead they would hold until the sixth, when another run came in on a fielding error. This time, a Williston center fielder bobbled a shot from Hodson, allowing Spires in from third.
Williston scored its first run of the game on a tag-up play in the bottom of the inning, and Harrell’s slip allowed the
Red Devils to tie the game.
Fort White’s Kayla Williams was stranded at third in the top of the seventh, and the Indians forced a extra innings with a pair of tags at first base and a strikeouts from Douglass in the seventh.
The No. 3 Indians and
No. 2 Red Devils both entered the game 15-7 overall after splitting during the regular season, but only Fort White advanced to today’s district championship game where they will host P.K. Yonge at
7 p.m. today.
The Blue Wave earned their title berth with a 4-0 defeat of No. 4 Chiefland High earlier Wednesday.
“She just came to me and just said, ‘Coach...,’” Fort White coach Frank Howell said. “I just told her she had to believe in herself and she had to trust herself to play the game the best she knew how.”
Harrell took his advice, knocking in what would be the game-winning run with a double to the center field wall in the top of the eighth inning before single-handedly taking care of all three outs in the bottom of the inning on Wednesday to secure a 3-2 victory, a spot in today’s
District 5-3A title game against top-seeded P.K. Yonge School and a state playoffs berth.
Not bad for a single inning.
“I just wanted to do everything I could after my error,” Harrell said. “I just tried not to get down on myself after that and come back out and play.”
Harrell’s shot to center field in the top of the eighth dropped just feet shy of a home run, and it brought in Alexi Hodson, who got on base with a single to left field, to break the extra-innings tie.
“I was just praying that the ball would drop,” Harrell said. “I kept saying, please, please, please just drop.”
She then caught a fly out and caught a runner trying to tag up for a double play in the bottom of the inning, and finished the game off by
grabbing a ground ball and carrying it over to first to make the tag herself.
While Harrell stole the show in the final minutes of the game, Fort White’s win was anchored by Indians ace Taylor Douglass, who earned eight strikeouts while giving up nine hits and only one walk. Three times she stranded Williston runners at third base, including once in the fourth inning when she pitched two consecutive strikeouts to
diffuse the situation.
“I think it was the greatest amount of pressure I’ve ever felt on a team,” Douglass said. “It was definitely nerve-wracking.”
The Indians had two fewer hits against Howard than the Red Devils had against Douglass, but the Williston pitcher only caught three Fort White batter swinging.
Harrell’s error was one of only a few in the game, but nearly each was exploited in the low-scoring affair.
The Indians’ first run came after a Williston overthrow at first base in the top of the first inning. The gaffe allowed Jordan Spires to score from second to give the Indians a lead they would hold until the sixth, when another run came in on a fielding error. This time, a Williston center fielder bobbled a shot from Hodson, allowing Spires in from third.
Williston scored its first run of the game on a tag-up play in the bottom of the inning, and Harrell’s slip allowed the
Red Devils to tie the game.
Fort White’s Kayla Williams was stranded at third in the top of the seventh, and the Indians forced a extra innings with a pair of tags at first base and a strikeouts from Douglass in the seventh.
The No. 3 Indians and
No. 2 Red Devils both entered the game 15-7 overall after splitting during the regular season, but only Fort White advanced to today’s district championship game where they will host P.K. Yonge at
7 p.m. today.
The Blue Wave earned their title berth with a 4-0 defeat of No. 4 Chiefland High earlier Wednesday.
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