- March 7, 2018
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DR. PHILLIPS — Her team's winning streak had come to an end earlier this week and the Dr. Phillips Panthers were locked in a battle with the rival Olympia Titans.
Stepping to bat with two outs, two runners on and the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, Deija Benn really wanted to put her team ahead.
"It was just 'my team needs a hit and we've got to have a hit,'" Benn said. "We wanted this game so bad."
Benn delivered, with a single to right field that scored Stephanie Canela and Gracie Lopez — who had drove in the tying run in the at-bat just before Benn's.
The big hit from the Panthers' shortstop put Dr. Phillips ahead 5-3 and pitcher Raychel Trocki did the rest, retiring Olympia in the top of the seventh to secure the win.
With the win, the girls for Dr. Phillips (15-2) once again demonstrated that they could overcome a deficit and also got back in the win column after a 6-0 loss to Apopka March 27 that ended the team's 13-game winning streak.
"We've just got the confidence that we're going to come back and win — it's just a different attitude than they've had in the past," head coach Mike Gale said. "They believe in themselves."
Megan Wilder drove in a run in the top of the first to give Olympia (9-6) an early 1-0 lead. When Dr. Phillips responded with two runs in the fourth — on RBIs from Trocki and freshman Jordan Hartman — the Titans responded with a pair of runs in the fifth.
Cameryn Orland and Wilder each had a pair of hits for Olympia, while Caryssa Orland got the start for the Titans — allowing just four hits and two runs before Wilder came on in relief.
Trocki pitched the complete game for Dr. Phillips, earning her 14th win of the season.
