BELLE GLADE — The Glades Day Lady Gators softball team has won the 2A District 7 championship for the third year in a row.

Head coach Sherri Paez has helped build the Lady Gators softball program into the regular playoff contenders they now are.

Special to the Okeechobee News/Sherri Paez
The 2019 district champion Lady Gators softball team poses with their hard-won championship trophy.

“This season had been a lot of work for the team,” explained Paez. “We have a very young pitching staff and everyone has stepped up their game. This is our third championship with this group of young ladies and they were excited for the three-peat.”

The team is fielding three seniors this year, Kamryn Kennedy, Emilee Perkins and Kennedy DesRochers.

“My seniors this year were awesome,” Paez said of the trio. “Each one brings what is needed to the team whether that is leadership, enthusiasm or pride. All are excellent players.”

The Lady Gators appear to be peaking at the right time headed into the postseason, finishing the regular season with two blowout wins over Clewiston and Benjamin.

Special to the Okeechobee News/Sherri Paez
The three seniors on the Lady Gators softball team hold the district championship trophy (from left): Emilee Perkins, Kennedy DesRochers and Kamryn Kennedy.

Glades Day beat Clewiston 16-1 on April 24 and Benjamin 13-3 the very next day on April 25.

The district championship earns the Lady Gators a berth in the regional tournament which kicks off on May 9. And they’ll will be facing a familiar opponent in the regional semifinal — Westwood Christian.

The Lady Gators faced Westwood Christian last year in the regional semifinal and came away with a commanding shutout victory 13-0. But in the regional final, just one game away from the state semifinal, the Lady Gators fell to Lake Worth Christian 4-9.

Glades Day would get a measure of revenge against Lake Worth Christian during the regular season this year when they dominated them during a 15-0 blowout back on March 7. But you’d have to imagine it’d be all the sweeter to truly return the favor and knock Lake Worth out of the regionals this year. The two teams could meet up again in the regional final. Lake Worth is scheduled to take on Colonial Christian on May 9, if they get past Colonial and Glades Day gets past Westwood, we could have a rematch of last year’s regional final. Only this time the Lady Gators will be hoping for a different ending.

Coach Paez says if her team plays like they have been for the last two weeks, they should come out on top.

The Glades Day Lady Gators will take on Westwood Christian in the regional semifinal at Glades Day High School at 4 p.m. on May 9.