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By MARTY MILLER

Hernando Today correspondent

Published: June 27, 2008

NEW PORT RICHEY - For the third time in the Dixie League Belles (ages 13-15) All-Stars District 4 Tournament, Alexis Adams came through with a great pitching performance for the Spring Hill.

Adams pitched a complete game featuring 13 strikeouts in a 4-2 win over Hernando in the double-elimination tournament.

She also tossed three innings of relief in a 5-2 win over West Pasco. Then Wednesday night in the final, after starting the game, Adams came on in relief for the final two innings to give Spring Hill a 4-2 win over West Pasco and a trip to next week's State Tournament.

Spring Hill left Oakridge Park in New Port Richey with its second straight district crown under Manager Louie Caiazzo.

"It feels great because we earned it," said the Spring Hill coach late Wednesday night after having to wait almost eight hours due to a rain delay.

"West Pasco couldn't go to the State Tournament, so we would have gone anyway. But I didn't want to back into anything. We wanted to go because we won the tournament. Now, after the win, I feel better."

Little by little

Spring Hill scored a single run in the second, third, fifth and sixth innings.

Adams, who played this year for Fox Chapel Middle School and will attend Nature Coast Technical next year, gave up two runs in 14 innings of work during the tournament.

"We've really got some good pitching with Adams, Baker and Brooke Sager," said Caiazzo. "We've got six people back from last year's team that went 2-2 in the State Tournament and we're looking to do better this time."

Spring Hill scored a run in the third on an RBI groundout by Shannon Cataldo, plus a run in the third on an infield single by Angelina Gaffney, who scored later on a West Pasco error.

The Hernando County squad added a run in the fourth on an RBI single by Megan Baker. Then in the fifth, Sager tripled and Adams drove her home with a double.

Spring Hill went 3-1 in the district tourney as it beat West Pasco, 5-2, and then beat Hernando, 4-2, before losing to West Pasco, 9-8, to set up the title game Wednesday.

"The difference between the 9-8 game we lost to West Pasco and this one was we didn't make as many errors this time," said Caiazzo early Thursday morning.

"I couldn't even tell you how many errors we made in that game, we were brutal. But tonight was just an all-around good game."

The victory Thursday morning, which was delayed over eight hours because of a rain storm and did not end until 1:55 a.m., put Spring Hill back into the State Tournament, which starts July 3 in Belleview.

"It was a long day for us," said Caiazzo. "We had girls sleeping on the floor during the delay. But we beat the two best teams in the tournament in Hernando and West Pasco."

Spring Hill 4, West Pasco 2
SH 011 011 0 -- 4 6 1
WP 000 200 0 -- 2 7 2
SH - Adams, Baker (3), Adams (5) and Sager.
WP - Freeman, Alberti (3), Freeman (4) and Sedivy.
W - Adams.
L - Alberti.
2B - Adams (SH).
3B - Sager (SH).
Records - Spring Hill (3-1), West Pasco (4-2).

Dixie Youth League Belles All-Stars
District 4 Tournament Recap
at New Port Richey's Oakridge Park

06-19:
Wesley Chapel 28, East Pasco 27

06-20:
Spring Hill 5, West Pasco 2

06-22:
Hernando 21, Wesley Chapel 0
West Pasco 5, East Pasco 4

06-23:
Spring Hill 4, Hernando 2
West Pasco 9, Hernando 6

06-24:
West Pasco 9, Spring Hill 8

06-25:
(Championship)
Spring Hill 4, West Pasco 2

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