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A look at tonight’s region softball semifinals, finals

The playoffs continue for 17 Tampa Bay teams.
 
Newsome senior Mary Beth Feldman fires a strike during a 2-1 victory over Palm Harbor University during the Class 9A, District 8 final. (SCOTT PURKS | Special to the Times)
Newsome senior Mary Beth Feldman fires a strike during a 2-1 victory over Palm Harbor University during the Class 9A, District 8 final. (SCOTT PURKS | Special to the Times)
Published May 14, 2019|Updated May 14, 2019

All games at 7 p.m. tonight unless noted.

Region semifinals

Class 9A

Palm Harbor University (20-8) at Newsome (20-4)

This is the fourth meeting between these teams this season. The Wolves won two of the first three, including the District 8 final that gave them home-field advantage. That’s big for Newsome considering it is undefeated (9-0) at home. On offense, the Wolves can put up big numbers, scoring eight or more runs in seven of their past nine games. The two times they were held under that total during that span came against the Hurricanes. Eight Newsome starters are hitting above .500, led by Bailee Leistl at .500. The power comes from McKayla Timmons and Jadeyn Ruszkowski, who each have 37 RBIs. PHU’s Taylor Norwood and Savannah LePain have pitched well, combining to allow just four runs in the last four games. Mia Buffano and Jalynn Ford each hit homers in the past two weeks.

Related: RELATED: From the bottom to the top of the district for Newsome

Class 8A

Sickles freshman Robyn Herron was outstanding on the mound, scattering six hits and striking out three in a 7-1 victory over Bloomingdale in a Class 8A region quarterfinal. (SCOTT PURKS | Special to the Times)

Plant City (20-4) at Sickles (21-7)

After missing out on a district title, the Raiders bounced back with a win over Steinbrenner to reach the region semifinals for the fourth straight season. Ashley Blessin threw her seventh no-hitter this year and recorded 14 strikeouts against the Warriors. The senior also was 4-for-5 at the plate. Blessin has at least two hits in each of her past five games. Teammate Abbie DeWeese is on a nice streak, too, with multiple hits in four of her past five games. The Gryphons are a runnerup after winning district titles the previous two seasons. But they finally got past the first-round hurdle, beating Bloomingdale in last week’s semifinals. Lauren Lightbody had three hits, and Robyn Herron and Kamryn Jackson each had two against the Bulls. Herron also threw a six-hitter.

Related: RELATED: Sickles definitely shows up
Related: RELATED: Plant City notches no-hitter vs. Steinbrenner

East Lake (27-1) at Lakewood Ranch (27-0)

This is the game the Eagles have been waiting for in the playoffs. They take their 26-game streak on the road to face Lakewood Ranch, the team that knocked them out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons. The Mustangs are the No. 1 team in the nation with a roster that includes seven players who are on the Tampa Mustangs’ 18-under national team coached by Lakewood Ranch’s TJ Goelz. Three of the players on that travel team transferred from other schools in the offseason, including Claire Davidson, who moved from Virginia. The past two meetings have not been close. East Lake lost both by combined 17-0. But the Eagles have seemingly put it all together this year. They won two tournament titles and have scored at least nine runs in seven of their past nine games. Tori Brennan is 23-1 with a 0.69 ERA and 152 strikeouts. Five starters are hitting above .400, led Caroline Jacquay at .484.

Related: RELATED: East Lake thrives after early deficit

East Ridge (21-7) at Wharton (15-7)

This is the third straight season these teams have met in the region quarterfinals. The Wildcats won two years ago en route to reaching the region finals for the first time. Last season, Wharton was routed 14-0 in the rematch. After starting 9-7, the Wildcats have won six straight, including a come-from-behind victory over Lake Minneola in the quarterfinals. Trailing 2-0, Wharton rallied with a run in the fifth inning and two more in the sixth to win 3-2. Hana Schwindler was 3-for-4 and Sophia Cathey was 2-for-2. The Knights are on a four-game win streak. Their top hitter is Madi Wicker (.505 average).

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Related: RELATED: Never count out Wharton

Class 7A

Sunlake sophomore Jenna Lord is hitting .558 with 43 RBIs to lead the Seahawks. (SCOTT PURKS | Special to the Times)

Braden River (15-10) at Sunlake (23-2)

Note: This game has been postponed until Wednesday at 7.

The Seahawks, who have already won conference and district titles for the first time, are on the verge of advancing to their first region final. To get there, Sunlake has to get past its biggest postseason nemesis. Braden River has knocked the Seahawks out of the playoffs each of the past two seasons, winning both first-round games by a combined 15-5. Sunlake enters on a 21-game win streak. The offense is averaging nearly 11 runs per game. Last week, Alexis Duff, Jenna Gabrielli, Jenna Lord and Paige Maseda each hit homers in a win over Lennard.

Related: RELATED: Sunlake can't miss at the plate

Lake Region (18-9) at Chamberlain (18-4)

The Chiefs are in the region semifinals for the eighth straight season. Lake Region knocked Chamberlain out of the playoffs for two straight seasons (2016-17). Both games were low scoring and each was decided by a run. The Chiefs have won nine of their past 10, the lone loss in that span coming against Robinson in the regular-season finale. Lani Trent had the winning hit in last week’s quarterfinal win over Lake Gibson, a two-run homer in the fourth inning of a 2-1 victory. The Thunder has allowed just one run in the past three games, all wins.

Class 6A

Robinson (21-7) at Wesley Chapel (15-6)

This is a matchup of two upstart teams who were both district runnerups. The Knights got past that first-round hurdle by beating three-time defending state finalist Land O’ Lakes in the region quarterfinals. Alyssa Acosta had a three-run single, and Alex Kirkner and Jordan Stephens each scored twice. The Wildcats are in the region semifinals for the second time in the past three seasons. Last week, they beat Jefferson 2-0 in the quarterfinals. Jordan Almasy threw a two-hit shutout with four strikeouts. Ashley Garrison and Morgan Herndon each had two hits.

Related: RELATED: Robinson solves first-round curse
Related: RELATED: Wesley Chapel continues playoff resurgence

Class 5A

Hernando (25-3) at Cypress Creek (15-8)

Note: This game has been postponed until Wednesday at 7.

This is a rematch of the District 7 final the Coyotes won 7-5. Trailing 5-0, Cypress Creek rallied with five runs in the sixth inning and two more in the seventh to beat the rival Leopards for the first time and win their first district title. The second-year Coyotes followed that up by beating Taylor 6-4 in the quarterfinals. Cypress Creek has plenty of offense with eight starters hitting above .400. Neely Peterson leads the way with a .522 average, six homers and 40 RBIs. Hernando is trying to reach the region final for the second straight season. Last week’s 4-0 quarterfinal win over Orlando Bishop Moore was a big momentum booster. The Leopards had 11 hits. That was more than enough for Ali Shenefield, who threw a two-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts.

Related: RELATED: Cypress Creek claims district crown in Year 2

Region finals

Class 4A

Calvary Christian's Leah Jarnac, center, celebrates a home run by Keily Ulatowski, right, during an April win against Tampa Catholic. (DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times)

Tampa Catholic (18-8) at Calvary Christian (24-3)

Note: This game has been postponed until Wednesday at 7 at Eddie C. Moore Complex.

This is the fourth meeting between the programs. The Warriors won two of three, including the District 4 championship game. Calvary Christian can light up the scoreboard, usually by hitting softballs that soar over them. The Warriors have reached their goal of hitting 20 homers as a team this season. Kelly Ulatowski leads the way with nine. In the past eight games, Calvary Christian has reached double digits in runs seven times. The only time the Warriors were held to less than 10 runs in that span was the 2-1 win over Crusaders in the district final. Since losing 10-1 to Calvary Christian in the first meeting this season, Tampa Catholic has fared well, beating its district rival 6-4 in the regular-season rematch and losing a close, low-scoring game in the district championship game. Alexa Russo is hitting a team-leading .453 with three homers and 19 RBIs.

Related: RELATED: Calvary Christian shakes off nerves to rally

Class 3A

Admiral Farragut (17-10) at Moore Haven (11-8)

Everything has aligned perfectly for the defending champion Blue Jackets. They are playing their best softball of the season, winning 10 of their past 11 games. And Admiral Farragut is getting better. In the district final and region quarterfinals, the Blue Jackets won by a combined 28-7. Krystina Hartley was 3-for-3 with two homers and five RBIs in last week’s win over Southwest Florida Christian. The Terriers snapped a five-game losing streak by winning a district title and beating Bradenton Christian 11-10 in the quarterfinals.

Cornerstone Christian (17-9) at Seffner Christian (19-8), 4

The Crusaders, who won their first district title since 2014, ended a nine-year postseason drought by beating Windermere Prep 5-1 in the quarterfinals. Megan Carney, a Bloomingdale transfer who decided to resume playing softball this season, threw a three-hitter with four strikeouts. Anna Burnside was 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Cornerstone Charter has won six straight, including the past three by double digits.

Related: RELATED: Seffner Christian ends nine-year drought

Class 2A

Academy at the Lakes (15-7) at Seacrest Country Day (19-4), 4

During their four-game win streak, the defending state champion Wildcats have outscored foes by a combined 41-3. In last week’s 12-0 quarterfinal win over Sarasota Christian, Lexi Kilfoyl threw a one-hitter with 10 strikeouts. Kilfoyl and Jessica Mott also had two hits. Seacrest Country is coached by former Major League Baseball all-star and ESPN analyst John Kruk. He has led the Stingrays to their best season in program history.