Highlanders Fall, 11-10, to Sebring

LAKE WALES | Jared Davis struck out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh, and the Highlanders' season came to an end in a wild 11-10 loss to Sebring in the Class 4A Region 3 quarterfinals Tuesday night.

The teams traded four leads and combined for nine errors - six of them from Lake Wales that helped Sebring plate five runs - in a seesaw game that wasn't decided until Cody Higgins got Davis to swing at a one-two pitch with the winning run at second.

Johnnie Kirkland got the loss in relief. Higgins got the win for Sebring, which will host Bartow in Friday's regional semifinals.

Lake Wales (21-7) scored seven runs in the first two innings and led 7-2 after Kirkland hit a three-run homer in the seventh. He came in after Ryne Knuth was hit in the side of the head by a pitch and had to leave the game.

But five errors in the next three innings helped the Blue Streaks (20-8) take the lead. The costliest error came with the bases loaded and two outs in the fifth inning. Kevin Welborn hit a fly to left field that was dropped, allowing three runs to score and Sebring to gain the lead.

- By JASON MARTIN | Ledger correspondentSebring 202 043 0 - 11 6 3Lake Wales 250 012 0 - 10 9 6Pitchers: Higgins (W), Kirkland (L)2B: Sebring: Kyle Long, Adam SimmonsHR: LW: Kirkland Records: Lake Wales 21-7, Sebring 20-8Bartow 9, Braden River 3

BRADENTON | Josh Register triple home three runs in the first to help give Bartow an early 5-1 lead, and Josh Allen added a three-run double in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

Bartow will play at Sebring Friday night in the regional semifinals.

Gage Upthegrove pitched 6 1/3 innings to pick up the win with six strikeouts. Allen came in to retire the last two Braden River hitters.