Familiar foes in region semifinals

District championship rematches highlight the large-class softball region semifinal round today.

The familiarity between area rivals means there’s little room for error at this point, especially with the way postseason teams have been playing as of late.

Winter Springs hosts Hagerty in a Class 8A matchup of Sentinel Super Six teams. No. 2 West Orange is home again in a 9A semifinal against Olympia. No. 5 Orange City University travels to Port Orange Spruce Creek and Timber Creek hosts Oviedo in other 9A clashes of district rivals.

Winners advance to region finals on Friday.

“We understand that we have the talent and the ability to accomplish some good things,” Winter Springs coach Mark Huaman said after the No. 3 Bears got past No. 4 Hagerty in 10 innings for the district title two weeks ago.

“We beat some really good teams in the state this year at the Kissimmee Klassic and the Bartow Tournament of Champions, so we know we can compete,” Huaman said. “It’s just a matter of getting out there and having our heads right and not trying to overdo anything.”

“There’s nothing better than playing at home,” Winter Springs senior Myah Murray said. “There’s no better atmosphere with having our student section out there.”

Olympia must overcome the thought of losing twice at West Orange this season, including the district final.

The Titans are in the second round of regionals for just the second time after pulling out a 5-4 win at Lake Nona last week. Their recent efforts have the team feeling as though they’ve turned a corner since falling into a rut near midseason.

“It hadn’t been going good for us the last part of the season,” Olympia coach Hank Largin said after clinching a regional spot. “Since then we kept talking about how we weren’t playing our best but that we were good enough to do something in the playoffs.”

Top-ranked Deltona is at home today in Class 7A against Viera. Clermont East Ridge, new to the Super Six rankings at No. 6, hosts Tampa Freedom in an 8A semifinal. The area rankings:

— Defeated Melbourne 11-1 in 7A quarterfinal and has outscored past three opponents by 30-1 margin. Hosts Viera today.

— Two-time defending 9A state champs blanked Dr. Phillips 9-0. Hosts Olympia tonight.

— Defeated firstyear program Windermere High 4-2. Hosts No. 4 Hagerty in 8A tonight.

— Went on the road to knock off St. Cloud 4-0 to secure rematch with No. 3 Winter Springs.

— Rebounded from one-run district-title loss to Port Orange Spruce Creek to set up rematch following 5-3 win at Jacksonville Mandarin.

— Knights have won 25 of past 26 games, including a 7-1 win over West Orange on March 14. Hosts Tampa Freedom today.

Port Orange Spruce Creek (18-10), Timber Creek (22-5), Eustis (20-6), Apopka (20-6), Lake Brantley (20-5), St. Cloud (19-9).