- Buchholz Bobcats swept Oakleaf in two games to advance to the 6A region final for the fourth straight year, extending their winning streak to 11 games.
- Senior Reed Thomas pitched a complete game five-hitter with 12 strikeouts in Game 2.
Much like Ernie Banks of the Cubs, the Buchholz Bobcats decided Friday was a good day to play two.
And the Bobcats had no trouble moving on to the 6A region final for the fourth straight year.
No. 2 seed Buchholz had a four-run fifth inning to rally past sixth-seeded Oakleaf (Orange Park), 5-3, in Game 1 of its Region 1-6A semifinal, then took an early lead and never looked back in Game 2 with a 7-1 triumph to sweep the best-of-three series.
Buchholz (22-7) extended its winning streak to 11 games and will now either host fifth-seeded Tocoi Creek (St. Augustine) or travel to top-seeded Pace next weekend in the Region 1-6A final. Pace and Tocoi Creek will play a doubleheader on Saturday after both games were postponed by weather on Friday.
Pitching was once again the key for Buchholz on Friday night. Senior Dion Wilburn, a Jacksonville signee, went 6 1/3 innings in Game 1, with Cohen Lafler coming in to save the game for the Bobcats after Oakleaf had closed to within 5-3.
Buchholz trailed 1-0 until the fifth inning, when the offense scored four runs on five hits. Catcher Tyler Thurmond tied the game with an RBI double, then after a wild pitch gave Buchholz a 2-1 lead, Lake Sumter State College signee Zach Brown followed with a two-run homer for a 4-1 advantage.
“That was Zach’s first of the year, so we’ve been waiting on that,” Buchholz coach Chris Malphurs said. “He had one last year, and he’s a really good player. Getting him back was huge for us. He missed a lot at the beginning of the year with a back problem.”
Senior Reed Thomas dominated Oakleaf (13-16) in Game 2. After allowing the Knights a run and four hits in the first two innings, Thomas retired the next 14 batters in a row and finished with a complete game five-hitter with 12 strikeouts and no walks.
“I was just getting ahead,” Thomas said. “They were on my fastball early, so we switched it up and started to throw more offspeed, and my team was playing well behind me.”
The Bobcats took the lead in Game 2 on a two-run single by Antoine Deleyrolle in the second inning and never looked back. Brown and Roen Kresak added RBI singles in the fourth for a 4-1 lead, and senior Aiden Kastensmidt added two run-scoring doubles in the last three innings to put the game away for Buchholz.
“I felt like once we took the lead in the first game we wouldn’t give it back,” Malphurs said. “I thought that would carry over to the second game.”
FHSAA Baseball regional playoffs – Friday, May 1
(teams in the Mainstreet coverage area in bold)
(Regional Semifinals – All classes, best-of-3 series)
Rural-Region 3 Semifinals
1 Union County (Lake Butler) 7, 4 Madison County 6
1 Union County (Lake Butler) 10, 4 Madison County 7 – Union County wins series 2-0
Rural-Region 4 Semifinals
1 Trenton 12, 4 Dixie County (Cross City) 2 (5)
1 Trenton 15, 4 Dixie County (Cross City) 0 (5) – Trenton wins series 2-0
3 Williston 9, 2 Marathon 6 – Williston leads 1-0 (Games 2 & 3, if necessary, on Saturday)
Class 1A-Region 2 Semifinals
2 Mount Dora Christian 11, 3 Saint Francis Catholic Academy 8 – MDC leads 1-0 (Games 2 & 3, if necessary, on Saturday)
Class 3A-Region 1 Semifinals
3 Suwannee (Live Oak) 12, 2 Fernandina Beach 0 (5)
2 Fernandina Beach 4, 3 Suwannee (Live Oak) 3 – Series tied 1-1 (Game 3 on Saturday)
Class 6A-Region 1 Semifinals
2 Buchholz 5, 6 Oakleaf (Orange Park) 3
2 Buchholz 7, 6 Oakleaf (Orange Park) 1 – Buchholz wins series 2-0