High school baseball first round: Kieck, Bolles stun Trinity, Bishop Kenny hurls no-hitter
For Chayce Kieck and Bolles, Tuesday night's motto was simple.
"Everybody was saying it all day long: 'We're gonna shock everybody tonight,'" he said.
Kieck dominated through six innings and held on with grit through a tense seventh, leading Bolles to the 3-1 upset of fifth-ranked Trinity Christian in Tuesday night's Florida High School Athletic Association Region 1-3A baseball quarterfinal.
Clemson-committed Kieck, perfect through four, didn't allow a hit until Landon Mixon's two-out single in the bottom of the sixth. Trinity (22-5) scored Ashton Nugent after an error in the seventh and brought the go-ahead run to the plate, but Kieck unleashed his eighth, ninth and tenth strikeouts to complete his five-hitter.
"The energy tonight was just completely different than any game I've ever played in," Kieck said.
Bolles (15-12) jumped ahead in the first on Will Studebaker's RBI single off Brayden Harris, then added two more in the fifth to advance to a Friday second-round game at Ocala Trinity Catholic, which upset Pensacola Catholic.
Cooper Rowell ran home with the go-ahead run on an eighth-inning wild pitch as Wolfson broke through in extras, 6-2 at Fernandina Beach (21-5). Joseph Rainbolt pitched four innings of scoreless relief to extend the best season in nearly two decades for the Wolfpack (21-5), which won a regional game for the first time since May 16, 2005 against Parker.
Wolfson next travels Friday to Providence, which overpowered Marianna (21-7) in a 10-0 shutout behind two Jimmie Broughton homers. Brett Dennis and Ryan Walls combined on a shortened no-hitter, and the Stallions (23-4) scored six runs in the first to blow it open.
First Coast Varsity Weekly: Raines football star Solomon Thomas adds discus title to feats
London crowns regional champion: Fleming Island's Jenkins sparks flag football comeback
Final stats: Northeast Florida high school baseball leaders after district tournament
Ready for some softball: Inside 19 Northeast Florida first-round FHSAA playoffs
REGION 1-5A
Ridgeview scored in each of the first four innings and raced away with a 12-6 win against Ponte Vedra (15-13). Leadoff man Xavier Harris doubled and scored three runs for the Panthers (20-6), while Austin O'Hara and Ethan Yesensky got three hits each for Ponte Vedra.
Their next opponent will be Clay, which scored six runs in the fourth to put away slumping Escambia (14-13) by an 11-5 score. Cole Carnell and Parker Lowrance drove in two runs apiece for the Blue Devils (22-6).
Columbia danced around the basepaths in a 14-run third inning, rolling to a 14-0 shutout of visitor Pine Forest (15-8). Junior Camdon Frier, committed to play football at Florida State, got the offense rolling with a two-run home run over the centerfield wall, his sixth of the season, and the Tigers (22-5) went on to score 14 two-out runs. Josh Fernald and Hayden Gustavson combined for a no-hitter to set up a district rematch against Tallahassee Lincoln.
REGION 1-4A
Ben Monger struck out 10 batters in 6 2/3 innings and Michael Leonard came in for the final out, combining on a no-hitter as Bishop Kenny won 1-0 over Alachua Santa Fe (18-10). Michael Saunders pushed across the go-ahead run for Kenny (16-10) in the fifth, enough to overcome a two-hitter by the Raiders' Zane Starling.
New district winner Tocoi Creek's playoffs ended in a 14-0 loss at top seed South Walton. Braxton Varnes started a combined no-hitter for the Seahawks (24-3), who scored seven runs in the third. The Toros finish at 15-12.
Baker County continued its hot streak, scoring three runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth in a 5-0 win over Wakulla (16-12). Titus Richardson went 3 for 3, Davion Dean drove in two runs and Colson Altman earned another win for the Wildcats (21-6), who next play Panama City Beach Arnold.
REGION 1-2A
Top-ranked St. Johns Country Day used four pitchers for a combined one-hitter, 8-0 over Christ's Church (5-17). Kody Daneault doubled for the Spartans (23-4) and Isaiah Mamea had two RBI.
Austin Pickett and Caden Worbington combined on a three-hit shutout for University Christian, a 4-0 victor over St. Joseph (15-11). Alonzo Monts knocked in two runs for UC (15-10), which led from the first inning and will meet St. Johns Country Day next.
Gainesville Oak Hall (18-5) scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to end the season of Eagle's View, 6-5. Seniors Brett Corbitt and Drew Hand doubled for the Warriors (14-10).
The Gainesville Sun contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school baseball 2023: Jacksonville first-round playoff scores
