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Sebring Is One Win Away From District Title

Chris Hoffman/Highlands Today

Sebring’s Buddy Mays awaits for the ball at third base, while Okeechobee’s Justin Morgan tries to beat the throw, during Friday’s Dixie Junior Boys (age 13) District 8 tournament at the Okeechobee Sports Complex.

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By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: July 1, 2007

OKEECHOBEE - OKEECHOBEE - Not bad for having three weeks off.

The Sebring All-Stars haven't played a meaningful game since June 8, but there didn't appear to be any signs of rust on this team — dispatching the Okeechobee All-Stars with a 13-1 win in a six-inning, mercy rule game in the Dixie Junior Boys (age 13) District 8 two-team tournament at the Okeechobee Sports Complex on Friday.

"They have been ready to play for a while now," Sebring coach Shon Abeln said.

Because of only two teams in the tournament, Sebring can win the district title and will earn a spot in the state tournament to be held in Grand Ridge, Fla. beginning July 21.

Results were not available at press time.

Sebring looked as sharp as ever, hitting to all parts of the field and good base running manufactured more scoring opportunities for the boys in blue.

After a feeling out period in the first inning between both teams, Sebring busted out for five runs on only two hits, a pair of walks and two hit batsman in the second.

Sebring loaded the bases after a walks to Daniel Ware and Taylor Townsend and a base hit by Alex Griffin. Lyno Tijerina brought home the first run, but now how he would have liked — Ware scored after Tijerina was pelted with a pitch in the arm. Third baseman Buddy Mays' hard-hit grounder was bobbled by the Okeechobee infield just long enough for Griffin to slide in before the throw home. Seth Abeln, who struck out his first time up, got his timing back and cracked an RBI double into center and Corbin Hoffner's groundout scored Mays to give Sebring a 5-0 lead.

Okeechobee, on the other hand, couldn't handle Hoffner's fastball and could only manage five base runners in the game. Hoffner was solid on the mound, allowing no runs and only one hit and a walk in three innings of work.

Sebring extended its lead to seven on an RBI single by Townsend and Johnathan Knight scored on a wild pitch, in the third and fourth innings, respectively.

An Okeechobee rally looked possible in the fourth, when Noah Wilcox reached base after being hit by a pitch from Ware, who came on for Hoffner. Okeechobee's Will Jackson smacked a hard grounder into the waiting mitt of Hoffner, who stepped on second and threw to first for the beautiful 6-3 double-play.
End of threat.

Up 9-0, Sebring put the game to bed in the sixth. With Kyle Yarbrough and Tijerina on second and third, Mays beat out a throw to first for an infield-single that plated Yarbrough. Back-to-back walks by Okeechobee to Abeln and Gunnar Westergom scored another run. Hoffner's grounder looked to be a routine play at the plate, but Mays was safe at home and a wild throw to first by Okeechobee brought home the final run of the inning and push the game into mercy-rule territory.

Okeechobee's Tyler Finney doubled to open the home half of the sixth and was able to score on a pair of wild pitches for the host team's lone run.

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