Sidelines

+ ODA storms back from five runs down
Trailing 5-0 midway through the first inning, The Out-of-Door Academy baseball team rallied back to beat St. Stephen’s 6-5 in district action March 20.

Austin Hoppe pitched six shutout innings in relief to get the win for the Thunder. Jeremy Luna went 3-for-3 and drew a walk to plate the game-winning run. Jake Romine went 2-for-4.

+ Ellenton skaters join world team
Ellenton pairs figure skaters Felicia Zhang and Nathan Bartholomay recently accepted an invitation to join the U.S. World team.

Zhang and Bartholomay, who placed 12th at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, will compete in the 2014 ISU World Figure Skating Championships, which began March 24 and run through March 30 in Japan.

The pair replace Caydee Denney and John Coughlin, who withdrew from the world championships due to Denney’s injured ankle.

+ Cascades wins division title
For the second time in three years, the Cascades American 3.0 Division of the Tri Cities League won its division.

Championship players include: Bev Wiberg, Lou Ann Eldred, Irene Baggio, Roberta Stacey, Coleen Quinn, Brenda Hamilton, Fran Cino, Donna McKenzie, Myrna Maksimik, Paula Terrenzi, Connie Troilo, Beth Loveday and Sue Gates.

+ Meadows Cup will benefit Easter Seals
The Meadows Cup Pro Am Golf Tournament will be held April 19 at the Meadows Country Club, 3101 Longmeadow, Sarasota.

Participants will enjoy an 18-hole round of golf with a professional, a complimentary gift, a $1 million hole-in-one shootout, dinner and awards and raffle and silent auctions.

Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. followed by lunch at noon and a shotgun start at 1 p.m.

Cost is $395 per player or $295 for Meadows Country Club members. Sponsorships also are available and range from $150 to $5,000.

The tournament, hosted by The George & Isabel Bushong Foundation, will benefit Easter Seals Southwest Florida. Proceeds will go to the continuing education, rehabilitation and therapy of children, youth and adults with disabilities in Manatee and Sarasota counties.

For more information, call 355-9637, Ext. 410 or visit TheMeadowsCup.com.

+ ODA swings past Lemon Bay
The Out-of-Door Academy boys tennis team defeated Lemon Bay 6-1 March 20.

Vaughn Garcia, Jose Juncosa, Marius Bschorer and Edward Hamburger all earned singles victories for the Thunder.

ODA also won both of its doubles matches.

With the win, the Thunder improve to 7-2.

+ Braden River Baseball
Eric Kimsey pitched a complete game, allowing an unearned run and six hits to lead the Braden River High baseball team to a 4-1 victory against Palmetto in Class 7A-District 10 action March 18.

Matt Parrill went 2-for-3 with a RBI and a run scored, and Brian Dillingham went 2-for-3 with a run scored to lead the way for the Pirates at the plate.

Braden River followed up its win with a 12-2 victory against Lemon Bay in six innings March 20.
Jordan Guerrero hit a three-run home run, and Dillingham went 3-for-3.

Brock Younce allowed three hits in four innings to earn the win on the mound.

GAME TO WATCH
Baseball
March 27
Lakewood Ranch vs. Cardinal Mooney (Sarasota Baseball Classic, 4:30 p.m. at Buck O’Neil Complex)

STANDOUT PLAYER
Ashley Bongart
Girls Tennis
Lakewood Ranch High

0 - The number of singles matches Bongart has lost so far this season.

6-1, 6-0 - The score Bongart posted to defeat Venice’s Michaela Mignemi in No. 1 singles March 19.

4 - The combined number of singles and doubles district titles Bongart has won in her career. The Lakewood junior will vie for her second-consecutive No. 1 singles title in the Class 3A-District 10 tournament April 1 and April 2.