Wilcox leads the Boys into the Finals!!!

Tuesday, July 25, 2o07 started out gloomy and rainy but as the skies cleared it painted the way to victory for Okeechobee. Okeechobee showed up at the field ready to play ball but were sent back to their hotel for a brief rain delay. The delay didn't slow the Chobee boys down a bit though. They played a great defensive and offensive game against Springhill, who played just as well. The Chobee boys (visitors) opened with bats on fire but Springhill was ready to tackle our hits. Tyler Finney and Justin Morgan had solid hits that were caught. Mark Weir sent a ball through the Springhill infield between first and second for a double but was unable to cross the plate before the inning ended. Noah Wilcox strutted to the mound with nothing but business on his mind. Striking out the first two batters (the first batter swinging and the second looking) set the stage for the remainder of the day. The inning ended with only three batters making plate appearances when a fly ball to left field was caught by Thor Harden. The game was scoreless at the end of inning one.

Inning two was short for both teams and also ended scoreless. Springhill's pitcher took our first batter but the next two battled. Timmy Farrell hit a grounder directly to the second baseman who made the unassisted play at first. Thor Harden, one of Chobee's hardest batters, hit to second base as well and was thrown out at first. Springhill started the second inning similar to the first with Noah Wilcox sending the first two back to the dugout with "a big K." They managed to get one hit through the infield and a batter walked for two men on base. The men each stole a base but failed to score with a fly ball to Bradley Coleman at third. No runs were scored for either team in the second inning.

In inning three Bradley Coleman had a hard hit to centerfield that was caught by the Springhill defense and Tyler Finney hit a hard grounder between second and third for a single. This at bat ended with a great defensive play from Springhill when Justin Morgain fired a hard shot down the left side. Okeechobee's defense was ready to get this game rolling and only three batters faced Noah Wilcox in the next two innings. A routine third-to-first play put down batter one and Noah struck out the next two batters. Okeechobee also had two batters strike out in the fourth. A rip by Will Jackson split through the shortstop for a single but the inning ended with a pop-up by Timmy Farrell to first. Springhill fell victim again with a routine second to first play and two strike outs. At the end of the fourth inning the score remained zero all.

Chobee boys knew that they had to step it up a notch and get some runs across the plate. The bats were rattling in inning number five. Thor Harden slammed a ball that pegged the bottom of the fence behind the left fielder's head for a single. Dean Radebaugh placed a ball just past the first baseman for a single and advancing Harden. Tyler Finney slipped one by the shortstop and Justin Morgan slammed a single through the third baseman, earning two RBI's as Harden and Finney crossed the plate. Once again Noah Wilcox only allowed three batters to make an appearance. An easy out was acheived with a hit to Tyler Finney at second who then threw to Farrell at first. Noah did the rest by striking out the next two batters. Okeechobee two to Springhill's zero was the score at the end of the fifth.

The boys kept the ball on the bat but could not seem to shake Springhill's defense in the sixth. Noah Wilcox's hit to short was caught as well as Will Jackson's pop up to the pitcher. Timmy Farrell earned a full count and battled back with a foul ball before sending a ball down the first base line for a single. Thor Harden with more effort that a locomotive swung his bat with everything he had. A hard hit ball was caught in right field ending the inning. Two strike outs created quick offensive inning for Springhill. One Springhill batter got a blessing when his ball took an odd hop and evaded the quick hands of Tyler Finney but the Chobee boys did not let that affect their efforts and a smooth shortstop to first play ended the inning. The score at the end of the sixth remained Chobee two - Springhill zero.

The last inning fired up the Chobee boys and they came out battling. Brad Coleman hit a beautiful ball that dropped between second base and centerfield but was fielded by Springhill. Dean Radebaugh's laid down a bunt turned into a single but he was later thrown out in a beautifully executed double play by the Springhill boys when Tyler Finney laid a grounder to their shortstop. The first two batters for Springhill had hitting on their mind but the Chobee boys were not going to let that happen. A high, high fly ball over the plate send Justin Morgan scrambling. He settled under the ball and waited patiently to make the catch. Out number one! A fly ball out to center field was easily caught by Will Jackson for out number two. The next two batters each earned their way on base with singles through Okeechobee's infield. With the possibility of a tie with a runners on first and second, the tension began to mount. Springhill's last batter hit a pop-up directly over Tyler Finney who waved off his teammates and made the play with the confidence of a pro. Final score Okeechobee two - Springhill zero.

This win advanced Okeechobee and a later game between West Volusia and Sebring sent West Volusia home with two losses. Sebring advanced still undefeated into the finals and Okeechobee will face them once again on Thursday. The coin toss went in Chobee's favor and Chobee opted for visitors so that they could come out blaring! Chobee must beat the Sebring boys twice for the State Title. They have done it before in district play and are confident that they can do it again. The first game starts at 4:00 and the second follows thirty minutes after the conclusion of the first game. Check back for the results!!!