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5 Polk County teams took district titles in baseball and softball. See the results here.

roy fuoco, lakeland ledger
·4 min read

Here is a complete wrap-up of Thursday night’s district championship games in softball and baseball for Polk County teams.

For baseball, regional seeds will be announced with quarterfinal games in classes 5A-7A on Tuesday, and 2A-4A on Wednesday. Class 1A semifinals are also Tuesday.

SOFTBALL

6A-10: Bartow puts away George Jenkins

George Jenkins capitalized on two Bartow errors to score a run without a hit in the top of the first inning, but Bartow went on to a 5-1 victory in the championship game of the Class 6A, District 10 tournament.

Shay Narcisse went 2-for-3 and drove in two runs to lead Bartow. Red Oxley, Julia Heter each had one hit and an RBI.

Oxley finished with a three-hitter with eight strikeouts.

Bartow's Alyssa Hillman slides in ahead of the tag from George Jenkins' Olivia Newman during Thursday's district softball final. The Yellow Jackets took a 5-1 victory.
Bartow's Alyssa Hillman slides in ahead of the tag from George Jenkins' Olivia Newman during Thursday's district softball final. The Yellow Jackets took a 5-1 victory.

5A-6: Auburndale falls to Horizon in final

Horizon scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning and went on to defeat Auburndale, 6-1.

Horizon finished with seven hits and led 6-0 before allowing a run in the top of the seventh.

Hailey Bradley went 4-for-4 to lead the Bloodhounds. Abby Meadows drove in Auburndale’s only run.

4A-6: Lake Region rallies twice to avoid upset

Lake Region’s Makenna Meadows single home the winning run as the Thunder rallied for two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to come from behind for the second time in the game to defeat Lake Wales, 6-5.

Lake Wales took a 4-0 lead in the fourth inning, but Lake Region rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth.

Lake Wales first baseman Leslie Franco Zapien tripled home Johalis River-Colon in the top of the ninth inning to again give the Highlanders the lead. Franco Zapien finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Zamara McBurrows drove in two runs.

Chic Jenkins singled home the tying run in the ninth. Meadows finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs. Kristin Aldridge doubled home two runs in the sixth inning.

3A-10: McKeel falls to Lake Placid

McKeel took a lead in the top of the first inning, but Lake Placid took control with three runs in the bottom of the first and went on to a 7-1 victory.

Lake Placid, which defeated Frostproof, 9-0, in the semifinals on Tuesday, held McKeel to just three hits.

2A-9: Fort Meade edges Lakeland Christian

Marleigh Carroll and Cailynn Johnson each drove in a run to lead Fort Meade over Lakeland Christian, 2-1. Ariel Ramirez allowed just one run on five hits.

LCS tried to rally in the bottom of the seventh. Callie Thornton singled with one out, then scored on Kinley Lawson’s two-out triple. Ramirez then retired the next batter to end the game.

BASEBALL

DISTRICT 2A-8: Santa Fe Catholic baseball well-armed against Lakeland Christian in district title game

6A-6: George Jenkins blanks Lakeland

George Jenkins starter Austin Daley allowed four hits in 6 2/3 innings and struck out 10 in the Eagles’ 5-0 victory. Xavier Glover recorded the final out with a strikeout.

Armani Cozza went 1-for-3 with two RBIs to lead the Eagles. Glover went 2-for-2 with an RBI, and Griffin Cline and Easton Nunez each singled and drove in a run.

5A-7: Sebring rolls past Lake Wales

Lake Wales took a two-run lead in the top of the third but Sebring answered with five runs in the bottom of the third and and went on to a 7-2 victory.

Levi Cutts and Bryan Woods each drove in a run to give Lake Wales its lead.

4A-9: Hardee upsets No. 1 McKeel

Wauchula Hardee capitalized on two errors and one big hit to upset McKeel, 3-2.

The Wildcats managed just three hits of McKeel starter Caleb Clanton, but one was Ryland Beumel’s three-run home run in the top of the first inning. Both runners on base had reached on errors. Clanton gave up two more hits in the inning after the home run then retired 18 of 19 batters the rest of the game, allowing just one walk. He struck out eight.

KJ Scobey singled home a run in the third, and Kaden Howell homered in the fourth to make it a one-run game.

Joseph Mills singled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to put the tying run on base, but Scobey lined out to end the game.

3A-7: Avon Park rallies past Fort Meade

Fort Meade took a two-run lead into the bottom of the seventh inning but the Red Devils scored three times for a 4-3 victory.

Jeremiah Cabrera, Carson Montsdeoca and Caleb Hermelbracht each drove in a run to give the Miners their lead.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: FHSAA district softball, baseball tournament finals: Polk County results