By Ken Jackson
Sports Writer

Baseball season came to an end in Osceola County on Tuesday, but at least the end of the road came in the regional playoffs.

Harmony, the only county club to advance past the district tournament level, was simply overmatched in the 4A Region 2 quarterfinals at Dunnellon and fell, 10-1.

“They were good, a better team than us right now,” HHS Coach Mike Fields said of the Tigers (23-7), who are trying to defend their regional title and return to the Class 4A state tournament. “They were about the same as Eustis.”

Eustis beat Harmony (16-10), 6-0, in the 4A District 6 final on Friday at St. Cloud, but as district runners-up, Harmony qualified for the playoffs for the second time in the school’s seven seasons.

“If you told me back in February we’d be in the regional playoffs, I’d have been skeptical,” Fields said. “But I’m proud of the kids who finished the year with us.”

The Longhorns got their run in the top of the fourth inning when Trent Fields delivered an RBI single that made it 5-1. Harmony had opportunities in earlier innings to score but could not get a key hit with runners on base in scoring position.

Dunnellon plays North Marion, a 5-1 winner Tuesday, in Friday’s Region 2 semifinal.

Harmony won’t play again until February, but with only four seniors in this lineup — Trent Fields, catcher Tyler Whitney and outfielders Anthony Grego and Trent Hinton — Coach Fields could be in a position to return to the playoffs next year.

Harmony had sophomores up the middle this year in second baseman Omar Villamon and shortstop Tommy Lopez, who batted at the top of the lineup. Starting outfielder P.J. Musselman is a freshman. Pushed by the seniors, they blossomed this year, Fields said.

“I told the kids after the game, this is the most-improved team I’ve had over the course of a season in my 30-some years of coaching,” he said.

Fields also had good news about junior A.J. Stevens, who was injured in a car accident and suffered chest injuries and a concussion on April 27, hours after pitching the Longhorns to a district semifinal win that clinched the regional berth.

“He’s doing well. He was at school and watched the guys take batting practice,” the coach said. “He’s come a long way in a week.”