County softball teams busy as Klassic looms

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County softball teams busy as Klassic looms

Sports

Saturday, 20 March 2010 01:14

By Rick Pedone
Sports Editor
Things finally are beginning to percolate on the softball diamonds after bad weather caused many postponements early in the month.
Osceola boosted its record to 11-2 after an 18-2 win over Cypress Creek Thursday, the identical score it put on Gateway Wednesday.
Alexa Ballard had four hits and four RBIs for the Lady Kowboys against Gateway. Osceola, which hosted St. Cloud Friday, plays four games next week at Sebring, home for Haines City and Lake Wales, then at Harmony in succession starting Monday. All except Harmony count in the 5A District 5 standings.
“We’ll be either in great shape, or real tired, after it’s over,” OHS Coach George Coffey said.
It should be good preparation for the 18th Kissimmee Klassic, the 48-team prep softball tournament that runs April 1-3 at the Osceola County Softball Complex.
Host Osceola will play in the Gold bracket against
Cocoa Space Coast at 8 p.m. in the opening round. Harmony meets Jacksonville Mandarin at 4:30 p.m.
St. Cloud plays Sebastian River at 4:30 p.m. in the White bracket.
Games begin at 1 p.m. Action continues April 2-3, beginning at 9 a.m.
Semifinal games April 3 begin at 2:15 p.m., followed by the championship contests at 6 p.m.
The Blue bracket pits the state’s elite teams. Nationally-ranked Timber Creek and all-state pitcher Brittany MacFawn, and Winter Springs, with sophomore Kiersten Coffman on the mound, will play in the Blue bracket.
Naples, the state’s most accomplished program, brings four all-state players for Coach Bob Iamuri.
State powerhouse Jacksonville Bolles will make its first Klassic appearance in the blue bracket, where all 16 teams reached the regional playoffs last season.
Osceola usually plays in the Blue bracket, but Coffey said this season, with a young team, it seems better to drop a level to the Gold bracket, where his team still will find excellent competition. Five gold bracket teams made the Elite Eight last season, including Harmony. The Lady Longhorns lost to the eventual state champs from Dunellon in the regional finals.
“I gave our kids the option, and we talked about it and decided that the Gold bracket was where we could best meet our expectations,” Coffey said. “The idea at this stage is for us to build confidence, and we’ve been doing that. So far, despite all of the weather concerns, and having some of our kids out who are ill, we’re making great progress.”
Thirty-three of the 48 teams in the Klassic reached the regionals. The Class 4A (Jacqlyn Traina, of Naples) and 3A (Sara Buchholz, of Gulliver Prep) Players of the Year are in the tournament.
St. Cloud improved to 8-3 Wednesday after a 4-3 win at Tavares. Sam Gale, who beat Celebration, 2-1, Tuesday, went the distance to earn the win and had three hits.
Gale’s two-run homer spelled the difference against Celebration. Celebration’s Jessica Kraus struck out 13 Lady Bulldogs batters.
St. Cloud, which played Osceola Friday, will host Harmony Monday at 7 p.m. for a 4A District 6 game that was postponed earlier this month.