The prospects of Calvary Christian three-peating as state champions appeared bleak. 

The Warriors were locked in a tied extra inning game with Baldwin  in the 3A semifinals. The bases were loaded. There were no outs. 

Not once but twice. 

Still, the Warriors had one key factor that proved to be the difference: experience. 

Eight of Calvary Christian’s starters returned, nearly all of whom have played at the varsity level since they were freshmen. That group has been to the state semifinals the bulk of their high school careers.

There was no getting flustered, no panic at facing such long odds. The veterans knew what to do. They turned up the intensity. They stayed composed. They made all the right moves, including getting out of both of those bases-loaded jams. 

It was not just the defense that delivered. The offense had its moments, too. 

In the 10th inning, the Warriors got the timely hits they needed to put the game away with a 6-3 victory. 

Now, Calvary Christian is on the brink of making history. With a win over Montverde in today’s 3A final, the Warriors will become the area’s first program to win three straight titles. 

Getting to this point was not easy.

In the semifinals, the Warriors trailed 2-0. They rallied with a run each in the fifth and sixth innings to eventually send the game into extra innings. 

They continually escaped to extend the game until finally outlasting the Indians in a marathon contest. 

Alexis Camilleri had two hits and two RBIs. Payton Cushman and Julia Tamulski also had multiple hits and Irianis Garcia, Katie Kapusta, Reagan Lavina and Ava Planeta each drove in runs.