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SANTA ROSA BEACH — Fresh off back-to-back trips to the state championship, the South Walton baseball team seemed destined for a third straight Final 4.
A Region 1-3A championship sweep of Suwannee to cap a 5-0 run through the bracket validates that, and now Nick Borthwick's crew will be the lone area team to make the trek to Hammond Stadium in Fort Meyers after Niceville was eliminated by Lincoln in Game 3 of the Region 1-5A championship and Choctaw was swept by Clay in the Region 1-4A finals.
South Walton junior Justin Didier walked it off with a two-run single to back Coleman Borthwick's complete-game gem in a 2-1 win in the opener, and Vaughn Howard's three-hit, five-RBI effort backed Denton Lord's shutout and fueled the Seahawks to a 10-0 run-ruled win in the nightcap.
State Champs: Niceville dominates field events, wins 5th state title in 6 years
State runner-up: Plasier, Tolbert win gold; Niceville girls finish 2nd at state T&F
For the third year in a row, South Walton (28-4) is just two wins away from that elusive state title. But defending state champ Miami Springs (19-11), the team that beat the Seahawks 2-1 in last year's title game, awaits in the state semifinals with first pitch coming 4 p.m. (EDT) Wednesday.
That sets up aces Borthwick and Lord for potential back-to-back starts, the best-of-3 format now dwindled to win-or-go-home games in the FInal 4.
In the region finals, neither Borthwick nor Lord allowed an earned run. Borthwick stuck out 13 and gave up just four hits over seven innings in the opener, his lone run given up unearned. He now has a 0.12 ERA, 9-0 record, 0.26 WHIP and 110 strikeouts over 60 2/3 innings.
In the nightcap, Lord struck out seven over four scoreless innings with just two hits and a pair of walks allowed. Parker Granse and Griffin Loy shut it down in relief as the bats awoken for 12 hits behind Didier's three base knocks and RBI, Borthwick's two hits and RBI, and Howard's 3-for-4 effort with five RBIs, two runs and two doubles. Lorda now has a 0.58 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 8-1 record and 82 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings.
The sweep marked the 12th straight win for the Seahawks, who haven't lost since March 28 and have outscored foes 223-43 on the season. As one dream run continued, two others hit a wall after rain delays forced the deciding games to Sunday.
Niceville (24-10) responded to an 8-4 opening loss to Lincoln with a 9-1 win Sunday afternoon, but for the second straight year the Eagles' bid for a region title ended in Game 3 of the region finals to the 18-16 visitors from Tallahassee, who won 9-2 to advance to a second straight Final 4.
Choctaw, meanwhile, was K'd 15 times by University of Florida committment Ryland McMahan in a 9-2 Game 1 loss and then fell 6-3 Sunday afternoon. The Big Green close the season at 25-8, falling just short of the program's first region championship in 47 years after a magical postseason run featuring walkoffs and unheralded heroes.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: South Walton baseball advances to FHSAA 3A state semifinal
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A Region 1-3A championship sweep of Suwannee to cap a 5-0 run through the bracket validates that, and now Nick Borthwick's crew will be the lone area team to make the trek to Hammond Stadium in Fort Meyers after Niceville was eliminated by Lincoln in Game 3 of the Region 1-5A championship and Choctaw was swept by Clay in the Region 1-4A finals.
South Walton junior Justin Didier walked it off with a two-run single to back Coleman Borthwick's complete-game gem in a 2-1 win in the opener, and Vaughn Howard's three-hit, five-RBI effort backed Denton Lord's shutout and fueled the Seahawks to a 10-0 run-ruled win in the nightcap.
State Champs: Niceville dominates field events, wins 5th state title in 6 years
State runner-up: Plasier, Tolbert win gold; Niceville girls finish 2nd at state T&F
For the third year in a row, South Walton (28-4) is just two wins away from that elusive state title. But defending state champ Miami Springs (19-11), the team that beat the Seahawks 2-1 in last year's title game, awaits in the state semifinals with first pitch coming 4 p.m. (EDT) Wednesday.
That sets up aces Borthwick and Lord for potential back-to-back starts, the best-of-3 format now dwindled to win-or-go-home games in the FInal 4.
In the region finals, neither Borthwick nor Lord allowed an earned run. Borthwick stuck out 13 and gave up just four hits over seven innings in the opener, his lone run given up unearned. He now has a 0.12 ERA, 9-0 record, 0.26 WHIP and 110 strikeouts over 60 2/3 innings.
In the nightcap, Lord struck out seven over four scoreless innings with just two hits and a pair of walks allowed. Parker Granse and Griffin Loy shut it down in relief as the bats awoken for 12 hits behind Didier's three base knocks and RBI, Borthwick's two hits and RBI, and Howard's 3-for-4 effort with five RBIs, two runs and two doubles. Lorda now has a 0.58 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 8-1 record and 82 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings.
The sweep marked the 12th straight win for the Seahawks, who haven't lost since March 28 and have outscored foes 223-43 on the season. As one dream run continued, two others hit a wall after rain delays forced the deciding games to Sunday.
Niceville (24-10) responded to an 8-4 opening loss to Lincoln with a 9-1 win Sunday afternoon, but for the second straight year the Eagles' bid for a region title ended in Game 3 of the region finals to the 18-16 visitors from Tallahassee, who won 9-2 to advance to a second straight Final 4.
Choctaw, meanwhile, was K'd 15 times by University of Florida committment Ryland McMahan in a 9-2 Game 1 loss and then fell 6-3 Sunday afternoon. The Big Green close the season at 25-8, falling just short of the program's first region championship in 47 years after a magical postseason run featuring walkoffs and unheralded heroes.
This article originally appeared on Northwest Florida Daily News: South Walton baseball advances to FHSAA 3A state semifinal
Continue reading...
