'Chobee eliminates AP

A rematch between the Avon Park and Okeechobee All-Stars in the Dixie Boys (age 14) District 8 tournament was an inevitable one.

An upset loss to Sebring the previous night left Okeechobee with one loss in the five-team, double-elimination tournament, and now the rematch was for a berth in the championship game against once-beaten Sebring on Wednesday night.

As they did in a 4-2 win over Avon Park on Sunday, Okeechobee leaned on strong pitching, this time from right-hander Billy Childers, to shut down the Avon Park offense and advance to the District 8 title game with a 7-1 win Tuesday night at Max Long Recreational Complex.

Childers picked up the complete-game win with four strikeouts, while giving up just one run on three hits on a night that Okeechobee head coach Brian Morgan said was all his.

"Tonight was all about the guy on the mound for us," said Coach Morgan. "Billy Childers, this is his day. He did an excellent job working the strike zone.

"If not for him, I'm not sure we'd even be talking about tomorrow."

For Avon Park, it was a story of a lack of production at the plate.

A team that won its first games of the tournament by a combined score of 18-1, managed just three hits on Tuesday night.

Avon Park's Lane Crosson's solo home run in the bottom of the seventh inning was the only thing that kept AP from being shutout.

After producing just two runs in the first battle with Okeechobee, Avon Park head coach Jeff Brock says a lack of fire at the plate ended what was shaping up to be a great tournament run.

"If we could've hit the ball, got some runs and put the pressure on them it could have just as easily been the other way around," said Coach Brock. "I told them I enjoyed coaching them, they're a good team and a great group of guys.

"You don't see any of those guys over there crying, they know they played well and played hard, we just didn't hit the ball consistently enough to win."

Crosson got the start on the hill for Avon Park and held the Okeechobee offense at bay for three innings before a pair of defensive errors set up Chucky Shannon's RBI single and another error scored Trenton Mouska to give Okeechobee a 3-0 third-inning lead.

An Alex Rosa leadoff double showed some possible signs of life from the Avon Park offense, but the Okeechobee defense turned its second double play of the night to end the inning and keep the score at 3-0.

Okeechobee's Jack Radebaugh tacked on two runs with a double to center field in the top of the sixth, and Mouska added two more with a single into right-center field in the seventh.

The biggest highlight of the night would come soon after, as the Avon Park defense finally stopped the bleeding with one of the games rarest occurrences.

Shannon stepped to the plate for Okeechobee with the bases loaded and sent a grounder to Crosson who was now playing shortstop to begin a whacky 6-2-3-5-2 triple play to trade the sides.

One last cold at-bat would mark the end of Avon Park's tournament run, and the end of Coach Brock's first gig as the man in charge of the Avon Park All-Stars.

"It was a lot of fun," the AP skipper said. "A lot more pressure but still a lot of fun. I stressed just having a good time from the beginning. I didn't want to come in barking orders, this is their team and I just wanted to do the best I could to guide them.

"I enjoyed it, I don't necessarily prefer it but I was glad to do it; and I am officially retired"

Eliminating Avon Park left Okeechobee with a rematch with Sebring on Wednesday night at Max Long Recreational Complex.

The winner is the District 8 champion and advances to the Dixie Boys (14) state tournament in Marianna that begins play on July 18.

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