- Buchholz lost 5-1 to St. Thomas Aquinas in the 6A state baseball championship at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.
- Buchholz finished 25-8 and ended as state runner-up for the third consecutive year despite taking an early lead in the third inning.
- In the game, Buchholz took an early 1-0 lead in the third inning with a hit by Roen Kresak but was limited to only two hits afterward, leading to their loss.
It was closer this time around, but the third time was not the charm for the Buchholz baseball team.
Buchholz took the lead in the third inning but was held scoreless after that and managed only two hits in a 5-1 loss to St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale) in the 6A state championship game at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers on Saturday afternoon.
St. Thomas Aquinas (28-6) won their second straight state title and fifth in school history. The Raiders beat Buchholz, 8-3, in last year’s state title game in Fort Myers.
Buchholz finished 25-8 and ended up as the state runner-up for the third straight year.
“The difference was a lot of two-out hits for them and hits in key situations,” Buchholz coach Chris Malphurs said. “And we couldn’t get that big hit. Reed Thomas pitched well and got us in a position to win, but two hits just isn’t going to get it done.”
In losses to Dwyer (Palm Beach Gardens) and St. Thomas Aquinas the last two years, Buchholz fell behind by five runs or more in the first three innings. This time, the Bobcats broke out on top in the bottom of the third.
Tyler Thurmond walked to lead off the inning. Courtesy runner Ashton Norris stole second and went to third on a groundout. With two outs, junior Roen Kresak delivered a hit that bounced off the Aquinas third baseman and rolled into left field for a 1-0 Buchholz lead.
This story is still devloping.