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OHS nudges Celebration, 3-1 PDF Print E-mail
Sports
Saturday, 13 March 2010 02:14
By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
Osceola High softball coach George Coffey is still learning about his team’s capabilities, but he likes what he has seen recently from the Lady Kowboys.
Osceola, taking advantage of a pair of unearned runs, stopped Celebration, 3-1, Wednesday in an Orange Belt Conference contest at Kowboys field.
Alexa Ballard tripled and scored twice for Osceola, 8-2, and Kaley Crapo, Nicole Osterman and Carmen Nadal all had RBIs.
Osceola pitcher Haley Wright struck out three and gave up just one hit in five innings to earn the victory. Kenya Pereira earned the save.
“We’re 8-2, but it’s hard to get a handle yet on how good we are,” Coffey said. “We did some good things (Wednesday). Haley threw real well until she got a little tired, and Kenya came in and got the save, although she had a little bit of an adventure. She’s a freshman, and she’s learning.”
Celebration, 3-6, scored a run in the top of the seventh when Lauren Barroso drew a bases-loaded walk to score Illeamar Figueroa, who also walked.
Osceola took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off Celebration pitcher Jessica Kraus, the county’s all-time strikeout leader, when Ballard reached on an error and scored on Crapo’s single. Kraus struck out nine, boosting her career total to 755.
OHS added another run in the third when Osterman singled and came home after an infield error.
“We did give away some runs and gave them outs during our at-bats, too,” Storm Coach Ed Kuzma said. “We have the tough task of developing players between January and April. We hope to be ready to win those type of games when April comes.”
Ballard blasted a drive to the base of the fence in center for a triple in the fifth inning and scored after Osterman’s second hit of the game for a 3-0 lead.
Coffey moved the fences at Kowboys field back 20 feet this season, to 220 feet, to accommodate the USSSA Pride professional softball team that will play its games at OHS this summer.
Ballard’s hit would easily have cleared the fence at its former location 200 feet from home plate.
“That’s five that would have gone out this season,” Coffey said. “But, we’re adjusting, and it helps that we’re having the district tournament here.”
Osceola lost at Lake Wales, 3-1, March 5, in a 5A District 5 game that might be a preview of the district tournament championship game. Lake Wales was the Class 5A state runner-up last season.
“We played well down there. It was scoreless after four innings, and they scored a couple of runs on a ‘fister’ that just got over our infielders,” Coffey said. “We’ve got them coming up here later in the month, then we have the (Kissimmee) Klassic and a tournament at Naples later in the season, so we’ll have a good idea about where we stand by the time the district tournament rolls around.”
OHS was scheduled to play  a district game at Sebring Friday, and travels to Winter Haven Tuesday. The team’s next home game is Friday at 7 p.m. against St. Cloud.
Celebration plays host to St. Cloud Tuesday for a 4A-6 and Orange Belt Conference contest.
 

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