By Rick Pedone

Sports Editor

Host Osceola advanced in the winner’s bracket of the 20th Kissimmee Klassic softball tournament Thursday, 2-1, over Frostproof, behind solid pitching from Morgan Crapo and key hits by Chantal Crockett and Jessica Callahan.

Crapo pitched seven innings, surrendering only three hits, to earn the victory while Crockett and Callahan had two-out, run-scoring doubles in the third inning to provide just enough offense.

Crockett and Patricia Ortiz, who doubled and scored Osceola’s first run, each had two hits.

The Kowgirls, 15-5, squandered a scoring opportunity in the sixth inning when two base runners were thrown out on the same play, but a heads-up defensive play cut down the potential tying run in the seventh inning when Crapo fielded a squeeze bunt and shoveled the throw to catcher Kaley Brosious just in time to catch runner Cheyanne Anderson at the plate.

Crapo got the next batter to fly out to end the game.

“Momo didn’t have her best stuff, but she reached her goal. She wanted to pitch seven innings,” Kowgirls Coach George Coffey said. “We’re a very young team. We made some mental mistakes and we squandered a few opportunities, but we did just enough to get it done. Like I told the girls after the game, you never remember the last at-bat. You remember the last at-bat, meaning that you can go 0-for-3 and look terrible, but if you get that big hit in your fourth at-bat, that’s the one that counts.”

Osceola met Tate Cantonment, a 15-0 winner over Jensen Beach, in the Gold bracket Friday. Cantonment is located north of Pensacola.

The No. 1-nationally ranked and two-time state champion Palm Beach Gardens Gators, No. 1 in Florida’s Class 8A, had no trouble in the first round, downing Cypress Bay, 13-2, in five innings Thursday in the Blue bracket. Winter Springs, No. 1 in Class 7A, beat St. Thomas Aquinas, 9-0, in the Blue bracket.

The tournament concludes at the Osceola County Softball Complex today with the semifinal rounds beginning at 12:30 p.m. The finals in the Blue and Gold brackets set for 6 p.m.

Defending state champion Miami Gulliver Prep, No. 1 in Class 4A, beat Pine Castle Christian 7-2, and Tampa Plant edged No. 2 Class 8ATampa Chamberlain, 8-6, in other Blue bracket contests.

Cooper City nipped No. 1 Class 2A and defending state champion St. Petersburg Canterbury, 3-2.