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Weather wins

Matt Flowers, Highlands Today

A couple pf Okeechobee All-Stars prepare to get off the field as a massive thunderstorm rolls in on Tuesday night during the Dixie OZone District 8 tournament at the Lake June ball fields in Lake Placid. The game was resumed on Wednesday night in the fifth inning.

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By MATT FLOWERS

For Highlands Today

Published: June 25, 2009

Updated:

LAKE PLACID - It was worse than one of those to be continued episodes of your favorite television show.

Fifty minutes of intriguing action and curiosity as to how the episode could possibly end and the drama that the ending might entail.

For four and a half innings, the Sebring and Okeechobee OZone All-Stars (ages 11-12) provided some top-notch baseball in the District 8 tournament on Tuesday night at the Lake June ball fields.

Sebring entered Tuesday night's game undefeated and only one win from the district title and the automatic berth in the Dixie Ozone state tournament, while Okeechobee, which lost to Sebring earlier in the four-team, double-elimination tournament, had to win two games to claim the district championship.

Through four and a half innings of Tuesday night's contest the score was tied at 1, but the game had to be called at that point because a massive thunderstorm made its way on top of the Lake June Complex.

The ferocity of the storm produced lightning and rain and made continuing the game impossible.

The game was resumed in the fifth inning on Wednesday night.

Results from the game were not available at press time, but for the complete story and photos from Wednesday night's contest, be sure to check our Friday's Highlands Today sports section.

The only runs in the well-pitched game were provided by Sebring's Louis Martinez and Okeechobee's Layton Thomas, who both blasted solo home runs to get their teams on the board.

The game was dominated by Sebring left-hander Jonathan Struck, who struck out four, and the solid defense behind him in the well-played game.

Okeechobee ace Elijah Finney was just as tough on the hill and his defense matched Sebring's errorless effort, with Martinez' solo homer being Sebring's only run through four innings.

Thomas sent the first real wave of momentum Okeechobee's way when his two-out solo shot over the right field fence in the bottom of the first inning put Sebring in an early 1-0 hole.

But as heavyweights do, Sebring would respond with a haymaker of its own in their very next at-bat.

Ethan Davis and Struck couldn't find a hole in the Okeechobee defense, but Martinez didn't have to as he ripped a Finney fastball out of the ball park to knot the game at 1.

Struck sent two more Okeechobee batters on the walk of shame in the bottom of the third inning and the Sebring defense stayed mistake-free, shutting down Okeechobee in the fourth.

It was clear the finish was in jeopardy as a fierce looking front of storm clouds raced over the orange groves past the right-field fence, and with heavy rains having already pounded Lake June Complex earlier in the day, the fields were in no shape to take on more rain.

Sebring coach Israel Gomez was confident with his team's position as they attempted to finish an undefeated tournament run and break the 1-1 tie on Wednesday.

Knowing he could still put Struck on the mound for the final two innings, he was confident that his team would be able to keep Okeechobee at bay and produce enough with their two remaining at-bats to claim a win, the District 8 championship and a berth in the OZone state tournament in July.

The game picked up in the bottom of the fifth inning with Sebring's Alex Forde standing on second base thanks to a walk and a steal the previous day before the teams were brought in.

For complete results and photos from Wednesday night's contest, be sure to read Friday's Highlands Today sports section.

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