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By Rick Pedone Sports Editor

Osceola's run through the Kissimmee Klassic Blue bracket came to an end three runs shy of winning the tournament championship Saturday at the Osceola County Softball Complex.

Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas jumped to a 4-0 lead after two innings and held off the pesky Lady Kowboys, 5-3, to win their fourth Klassic title.

Raiders catcher Gwen Svakis ripped a two-run homer to left to stake Aquinas to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, and sloppy defensive play by the Lady Kowboys allowed two unearned runs to score in the second.

Coach George Coffey chastised his team after giving up the two unearned runs, and from that point the Lady Kowboys returned to the form that carried them to the tournament championship game for the first time since 1996.

"We got our focus back and got back to business," Coffey said.

Osceola got two runs back in the fourth innng when Jessica Callahan's home run to left scored Chantal Crockett, who walked.

The Raiders scored in the bottom of the fourth on No. 8 hitter Sam Strum's solo homer to center, making it 5-2, but the Lady Kowboys scored again in the fifth when Kali Jones and Haisette Escudero singled, Crockett walked and Callahan's infield grounder brought home Jones.

Left-handed reliever Meghan King entered in the fifth to shut down the OHS rally. She and starter Erika Nori were selected as the Blue bracket MVPs.

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OHS second at Klassic