Land O’ Lakes High School Lady Gators rally for 3-2 comeback win over Wesley Chapel Lady Wildcats in District Softball Final By Steve Lee
LAND O’LAKES — Down to their last out and trailing Wesley Chapel by a narrow 2-1 margin, the host Gators looked like they might have to settle entering the playoffs as a district runner-up. Callie Turner’s two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning changed that thought, leading Land O’ Lakes to a 3-2 win for the Class 6A, District 7 title.
The stunned Wildcats watched in disbelief as Turner, whose hit followed Brooke Stanley’s single, rounded the bases and was swarmed at home plate by her Land O’Lakes teammates, who celebrated their third district championship in the past four seasons.
Afterward, both coaches offered differing perspectives on the stunning way the pivotal game ended.
“These are my cardiac kids,†Land O’Lakes coach Mitch Wilkins said.
“This one really hurt, but we’ll be back,†Wesley Chapel coach Lauren Pasquale said.
Land O’Lakes (22-5), the No. 1 seed in the tournament, defeated Pasco in the semifinals and including the regular season has now defeated Wesley Chapel three times in 2019.
Wesley Chapel (14-6) came in as the third seed. The Wildcats beat Anclote 4-0 and River Ridge 7-0 to reach the district final.
Turner, a lefthanded pitcher who has signed with Tennessee, and Wesley Chapel ace Jordan Almasy, a University of Central Florida commit, each allowed just two hits before the seventh.
Turner got in trouble in the first, issuing four of her eight walks in that inning that led to two runs. Almasy scored on a bases-loaded walk to Allison Fraley and Madelyn Golka came in on Breana Delgado’s infield groundout.
The Gators got a run in the fourth when Shelby Westbrook doubled and scored on a wild pitch.