Dr. Phillips baseball tops Boone in extra innings to take district title

ORLANDO — The Dr. Phillips Panthers were one out away from winning the Class 8A District 4 Championship against the host Boone Braves in the top of the seventh inning on Friday.

Boone slugger Adam Anderson had other plans, though; Anderson launched a solo home run well over the left field fence to tie the game at 3-3 and force extra innings.

It wouldn't have been surprising if the Panthers, deflated, had let the game getaway from them — but they didn't.

Dr. Phillips reliever Chris Moore escaped several jams that saw the Braves nearly push across a go-ahead run and, when senior catcher Matt Sullivan and the top of the order came up in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Panthers got the victory on a sacrifice fly by Yasin Chentouf to win 4-3.

"In years' past, and actually earlier this season, we would have folded," Panthers coach Mike Bradley said. "We got over the hump. The kids stepped up — they found a way."

Now, Dr. Phillips (15-12) will have homefield advantage when it is faced with the task of hosting the Olympia Titans — ranked No. 1 in the nation — on Wednesday in the Class 8A Region 1 Quarterfinals. Olympia (25-1) lost its first game of the season on Friday to Apopka in the 8A-3 Final, 8-4.

The game between the Titans and Blue Darters started after the Panthers had secured their own district title, but even without knowing who they would face on Wednesday, Bradley said having homefield would be a big bonus.

"It's huge — it's everything," Bradley said. "Homefield advantage for us is an absolute. The reason for that is that firstbase dugout, the sun sets right in it. If you're not ready for the heat, in a four o'clock game, on a Wednesday at the end of April, you've got something coming for you."