Home dugout is comfort zone

Enjoying home-field advantage in the opening round of regionals is a luxury that comes with winning baseball district titles.

For teams such as defending Class 9A state champion Timber Creek and 5A runner-up Bishop Moore, being in the friendly confines of the home park is an ideal starting point to the postseason.

“We play well at home and we get big crowds, so I think it’s huge,” Timber Creek coach Tim Beaman said. “You’re familiar with your park, but the main reason you want to play at home is to get that last atbat.”

Timber Creek, ranked No. 4 in the Sentinel Super Six, avoided a bus ride to Osceola County in the first round today by winning its second straight district title in an eight-inning final over Oviedo. The Wolves host Gateway at 7 p.m.

No. 1 Bishop Moore is home vs. Brooksville Hernando (22-6) today.

“A team like that can come in here and beat us if we’re not playing good baseball,” Bishop Moore coach Tony Mehlich said.

Despite capturing the program’s fourth district title in as many years last week and extending their win streak to 14 straight, Mehlich cautioned players not to get complacent moving forward in a lengthy postgame conversation.

“We just need to make sure we prepare a little bit better,” he said. “We’re a talented team, but a really young team, and at the same time the opportunity is there to go far. It’s in how we prepare, how we stretch, how we hit in [batting practice], and the little things we do before games that make us a better team.”

While Timber Creek and Bishop Moore focus on maintaining an edge, other area programs are reveling in having ended homefield droughts.

Lake Mary, ranked No. 3 entering regionals, is hosting a quarterfinal game for the first time since 2005. No. 2 Lake Brantley is at home in the opening round for the first time since 2013.

No. 5 Lake Howell, new to the rankings, hasn’t won a regional game since 2011. Today’s winners advance to the region semifinals next week.

The area rankings:

— Defeated Port Orange Atlantic 11-1 and Pierson Taylor 12-5 to extend winning streak to 14 games.

Patriots pulled upsets of Apopka (8-3) and Olympia (9-5 in 8 innings) to win Class 9A, District 3 title.

Claimed 9A-2 title with wins over Seminole (3-1) and Port Orange Spruce Creek (1-0) at Sanford Memorial Stadium.

— Defending 9A state champs pulled out close wins over Winter Park (5-3) and Oviedo (2-1 in 8 innings) for District 6 crown.

— Silverhawks beat Winter Springs on Matt Levenson’s no-hitter and won district final 5-0 over top-seeded Hagerty.

— Huskies beat Edgewater 13-3 then dropped district final for second loss of season to rival Lake Howell.

Osceola (18-6), Cypress Creek (20-5), Port Orange Spruce Creek (16-8), Apopka (18-7), Gateway (17-6), The First Academy (19-8).