By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor

The Osceola Lady Kowboys extended their softball season by at least one more game Wednesday with a 4-0 win at Harmony in the 7A-2 regional quarterfinals.

Kenya Pereira threw a two-hitter and drove in two runs with a first-inning single to lead Osceola, which improved to 19-9.

Harmony, coming off a trip to the state championship game in 2011, ended its season at 20-8.

Osceola traveled to East Ridge Friday for a 7A-2 regional semifinal. The winner of that game will play the winner of Friday’s Tampa Riverview-Bartow contest Tuesday for the regional championship. Osceola, as a district runner-up, would travel to either opponent.

The winner of Tuesday’s game earns a spot at the Class 7A state tournament in Clermont May 11-12.

Pereira, who also doubled in the sixth inning, escaped trouble in the first inning, when Aleshia Ocasio reached third, and again in the seventh inning when Dakota McCoy walked and went to third on Maddie Nichols’ single.

But, Pereira got the next two Longhorns on a pop-up and a strikeout to send OHS to the next round.

“I have a lot of confidence in our team,” Pereira, a junior, said. “I knew I had to stay ahead in the count, and if I did that it would be OK.”

Kowboys shortstop Chantal Crockett singled, walked twice and scored three times for OHS.

Pereira staked the Kowgirls to a 2-0 lead in the first when she hopped a two-out single over the head of Horns’ third baseman Brooke Harris to score Kali Jones, who reached on an error, and Crockett, who singled. Crockett drew a walk and scored on an error in the third inning. Jessica Callahan’s single scored Crockett for an insurance run in the seventh.

“Kenya’s pitched three (postseason) games and been very effective for us,” OHS Coach George Coffey said. “This is one of the best games we’ve played at this point of the season maybe going all the way back to 1996 (when OHS reached the state championship game). The girls played well, and we’ve learned from some of our mistakes.”

Harmony committed four errors, leading to three unearned runs.

“You can’t give anybody four or five outs in an inning,” Horns Coach Mike Clark said. “It was a disappointing effort on our part.”