Historic Run

SARASOTA — Savanna King stood just off second base and held her breath.

Clinging to a one-run lead, the Sarasota Christian senior waited in nervous anticipation. The Lady Blazers were two outs away from making school history and landing a berth in the Final Four.

King couldn’t think of a better way to close out her final season on the diamond.

But, it wasn’t until Sarasota Christian pitcher Cheyenne Miller forced a groundout and pop out to shortstop to close out the game and the stadium began to erupt that King realized what she had just witnessed.

With tears in her eyes, King ran and jumped onto her younger sister, Audra, in celebration, as Sarasota Christian captured its first Class 2A-Region 3 title in school history with a 7-6 victory over Vero Beach Master’s Academy May 5. It was the Lady Blazers’ second-consecutive one-run victory of the regional tournament.

“I cried. I was so happy,” King says. “I hoped for it. I thought we had a really good chance of making it to states because we have an awesome team. It’s shocking, really. It’s an amazing feeling.

“It’s really exciting, especially since it’s my last year,” King says. “It’s an awesome reward.”

The Lady Blazers, who made their first regional final appearance since 2004, had a five-run lead heading into the top of the seventh inning, but a couple of errors kept Sarasota Christian on its heels.

But Sarasota Christian was able to regain its composure in time to secure its first state tournament berth.

“It’s exciting just to make history,” shortstop McKenzie Lantz says. “Going to states is always exciting.”

“I told them after the game that I really don’t need that much excitement,” coach Dallas Miller says. “It doesn’t need to be that close. But that’s part of having a young team. You’re going to make those mistakes.”

With the win, Sarasota Christian earned a berth in the Class 2A state semifinals May 7, at Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach.

Prior to the start of the season, Miller didn’t envision he would be standing in the parking lot outside the Lady Blazers’ softball field May 6 loading up a pair of vans and preparing to drive three hours across the state for the state tournament.

A combination of youth and the fact that Sarasota Christian had never advanced out of the regional tournament didn’t bode well in Miller’s eyes. But, slowly, everything came together and, before long, the District 9 champion Lady Blazers were in the middle of a historic run.

“My expectation was for us to see how far we could get in the regional tournament,” Miller says. “We won the district title, which was goal No. 1. Then we got the opportunity to play in the regional final, and I had never coached that game. It’s been all firsts.”

Sarasota Christian faced defending state champion St. Petersburg Canterbury School of Florida in the state semifinals. The Lady Crusaders were 20-6 heading into the contest, having outscored their opponents 26-0 in the regional tournament.

Sarasota Christian was all too familiar with St. Petersburg Canterbury School of Florida, as the Lady Crusaders have eliminated the Lady Blazers from the regional tournament each of the past three seasons.

“I’m nervous for the girls,” Miller says. “I’ve been fortunate to play and coach at a high level and go to national tournaments. They’ve never been here before. It’s our first time and I’m looking forward to it. That’s why we play.

“I always tell them life’s too short,” Miller says. “You have to enjoy the moment. It’s good to be nervous. You just have to channel those nerves and go out and play and excel. We’ve put them in positions and situations so they’ll have success.”

Several of the Sarasota Christian players, including Lantz, were familiar with the state championship atmosphere, having played in the state championship for basketball in February. Although the sports may be completely different, the girls are hoping to use that familiarity to their advantage.

“It calms my nerves,” Lantz says. “I just know it’s about playing. There’s not as much pressure. We just have to go in having confidence and know that this game could be your last and play the best we can.”

Results from Sarasota Christian’s state semifinal game were unavailable as of press time Wednesday. Be sure to check YourObserver.com to see how the Lady Blazers fared. The winner will face the winner of the other semifinal between Grandview Prep and Aucilla Christian in the state championship at 1:35 p.m. May 8.

ROSTER
Jessica Bender
Audrey Bennet
Natalie Briggs
McKenzie Clark
Audra King
Savanna King
McKenzie Lantz
Alyssa Miller
Caris Miller
Cheyenne Miller
Devyn Mullins
Emily Raber
Kaylynn Snyder

Contact Jen Blanco at [email protected].