TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Highlands Today

Role Reversal

CHRIS HOFFMAN/Highlands Today

Sebring's Johnathan Knight slides into home to score the go-ahead run in the fourth inning. The lead wouldn't hold, as Sebring fell to Okeechobee 9-7 in the Dixie Junior Boys (age 13) District 8 tournament on Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT

By Christopher  Hoffman | Highlands Today

Published: July 2, 2007

OKEECHOBEE - OKEECHOBEE - The chant of "CHOBEE, CHOBEE, CHOBEE" made a powerful impression on the boys in blue on a dreary Saturday night.

The Sebring All-Stars, which had pounded Okeechobee 13-1 on Friday, were stunned into submission in a turn of events that gave a 9-7 win to the host team –– not to mention a huge momentum shift –– in the Dixie Junior Boys (age 13) District 8 tournament at Okeechobee Sports Complex.

"We just didn't play as good today," Sebring coach Shon Abeln said. "I told our guys that the team we played on Friday was not the team we would be facing today. I knew they were a better team than that."

With the loss, Sebring and Okeechobee were scheduled to meet on Sunday in the championship game. Results were not available at press time.

Sebring ran out of gas and Okeechobee raced in for the kill –– scoring four runs in the pivotal sixth inning.

Sebring's defense, which had been stellar in both games. Clinging to a 7-5 lead, Sebring allowed Tyler Finney to reach base on a fielding error. With one out and Finney reaching second on a balk by Daniel Ware, Mark Weir's RBI single into left field plated Finney and outfielder Noah Wilcox cracked a two-run blast into dead center to give Okeechobee an 8-7 lead –– a lead they wouldn't relinquish.

Will Jackson would single and reach home on successive wild pitches to add an insurance run for the host team.

Sebring attempted a rally in the final inning, when Seth Abeln beat out the throw to first for an infield single. After a strikeout and Seth Abeln stealing second, Corbin Hoffner's hard-hit grounder to short was gobbled up and the throw to first was just in time for the final out.

The Sebring boys looked dejected but the coaches rallied the troops –– telling them they live to fight another day.

"We are going to come out and play better in the next game," Coach Abeln said. "We need to jump on this team early like we did in the first game and not play from the hole."

Stunned disbelief on one corner of the field and cheers of satisfaction and joy were on the other –– and that was just in the second inning –– after Okeechobee's Thor Harden crushed a Seth Abeln fastball over the centerfield fence with the bases loaded. And with that one swing, Sebring was in a 4-0 hole.
Seth Abeln stood on the mound, shaking his head, helpless while the Okeechobee players rounded the bases –– a timely photo that could have been shared by every player and fan in attendance.

The roller coaster of emotions had just begun for both teams, as Sebring came roaring back in the home half of the second with a barrage of their own.

Johnathan Knight lead-off with a single into left, followed by a walk by Ware and an RBI single by Felix Basulto. A walk by catcher Taylor Townsend loaded the bases for Alex Griffin, who appropriately hit a shot down the left field line for a two-run double that inched Sebring closer to Okeechobee on the scoreboard.

Third baseman Buddy Mays reached on a throwing error by Okeechobee to load the bases once more. Back-to-back walks to Gunnar Westergom and Hoffner brought home two runs to tie the score at 5.
The score stayed tied until the fourth, when Sebring took its first lead of the game on a an RBI grounder by Basulto that scored Knight from third. Two batters later, Mays' infield hit scored Ware to put Sebring up 7-5.

Sebring fought hard to hold the lead. With runners on first and second, Okeechobee's Brad Coleman hit a shot into center for a single but the rocket arm of Knight denied a run to score, instead leaving the bases loaded with two outs. Ware, who had struggled with the previous two batters, came through in the clutch –– a picture perfect strikeout to get out the jam.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT