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Region softball: Wharton 11, Strawberry Crest 5

 
Published May 10, 2017

TAMPA — The ball came toward Wharton's Chloe Lee in rightfield. It fell in her glove.

Then she dropped it.

The miscue led to two runs, allowing rival Strawberry Crest to tie the score at 4 in the top of the fifth inning.

For Lee, this was a game of second chances. The junior outfielder got her redemption with a two-run triple in the bottom half of the inning to ignite a rally that helped the Wildcats take control — again.

This time, Wharton did not relinquish its lead. In fact, the Wildcats kept adding to it and cruised to an 11-5 victory in the Class 8A region semifinals.

Wharton (18-5) completed the four-game sweep of its district foe to advance to the region final for the first time.

No one was happier than Lee.

"In my head I kept telling myself I needed to get those runs back after that error," Lee said. "It made me so mad. I had to get a hit. But I knew if I didn't my teammates would have my back."

The Wildcats had dominated their rival, winning the first three in the series by a combined 30-6. It looked as if another rout was on after Wharton jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning.

The scoring surge was due in large part to the Wildcats staying patient at the plate. They drew three walks in the inning, including one with the bases loaded that scored a run. Lee contributed with a run-scoring single.

The lead stayed until the fifth. Celia Higgins had a run-scoring double and Stephanie Dwyer had an RBI single to help the Chargers (14-13) cut it to 4-2. Then came the tying error.

No matter. Wharton slugged its way back on top.

The Wildcats scored four runs in the fifth and added three in the sixth to put the game away.

Up next for Wharton is Orange Park Oakleaf, ranked second overall in the state and 10th nationally by MaxPreps. The Knights were ranked nationally last season when Strawberry Crest won en route to making the state semifinals.

The Wildcats are hoping to do the same in Friday's region final.

"This team deserves it and they're finally getting a chance to let people see who they are," Wharton coach Brittany Bonea said. "No one knew who Wharton was past districts. We're starting to put the school on the map. I like the competition and our odds."