Two Up, Two Down

NEW PORT RICHEY - The second game for the Spring Hill Dixie Belles (ages 13-15) All-Stars in the District 4 Tournament was played Monday night at Oakridge Park against county rival Hernando; nothing really out of the ordinary, except for the 10:45 p.m. first pitch due to torrential downpours all weekend long.
But the late start didn't seem to affect Alexis 'Lexi' Adams, who went the distance for Spring Hill, giving up two runs off of two hits, with three walks and 13 strikeouts.
"What can you say about her?" shrugged Head Coach Louie Caiazzo. "It's a beautiful thing. She's throwing heat for seven innings which is not easy to do."
In the bottom of the first, Hernando's Whitney Sims stole second base, and on the throw, shortstop Linda Thompson took a ball to the mouth forcing her to sit out until her next at-bat in the fateful fourth.
The game was scoreless when Adams helped her own cause starting the fourth with a walk. Linda Thompson, bravely back from injury, reached on an error. Megan Baker singled, and Shannon Cataldo and Danielle Caban each drew a base-on-balls. Brooke Young singled and reached second on a fielder's choice to make the score, 4-0.
But Hernando answered when Jaclyn Boever started things off with a walk. Madison Manuel reached safely on a fielder's choice and Kaitlyn Killingsworth added a single. Ashley Frye also hit into a fielder's choice but not after Hernando had gotten two back making the score, 4-2.
Both pitchers seem to have settled in by the fifth inning.
Hernando's Alicia Field gave up only five hits and three walks with 10 strikeouts and retired the side in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
"We played them last year in districts," said Caiazzo. "They have a lot of talented girls. But we had a good game.
"Every run is meaningful. This is a team that, when they're down, or something happens, they rally around each other," Caiazzo laughed. "Last year they called them the cardiac kids."

Other late games:

In the Dixie Ponytails (ages 11-12) division, Hernando defeated Spring Hill, 4-2. Head coach Danny Harvey's three pitchers, Tana McDaniel, Ann-Marie Rojero and Courtney Riddle combined for a one-hitter with 13 strikeouts and four walks. Jade Rivers accounted for three of Hernando's runs with an inside-the-park homerun.
SPRING HILL 4, HERNANDO 2
123 456 7 R H E
SH 000 400 0 -- 4 5 2
HYL 000 200 0-- 2 2 3
SH - Adams and Sager.
HYL - Field and Platt.
Records - Spring Hill (2-0), Hernando (1-1).