Lincoln, NFC baseball advance to regional finals, Chiles, Wakulla see season end in semifinals
All good things must come to an end, and for Chiles baseball that statement read true Saturday afternoon.
Falling to Hagerty 4-0 in the Class 6A Region 1 semifinals, the Timberwolves season ended just one game short of the region finals.
With Friday's severe weather forcing the Timberwolves showdown with the Huskies to be rescheduled to Saturday, Hagerty (20-8) jumped on Chiles (19-9) in the second inning, scoring three runs.
The Timberwolves were unable to get anything going against Hagerty pitcher Max Murray, who allowed only two hits and struck out six. Despite two near home runs from Colby Tadder and Davis Avera, Chiles couldn't get a runner across home plate.
Chiles head coach Corey Pye said that's what makes baseball so difficult, you never know what can happen.
"That's baseball for you," Pye said. "They got guys that came in there and hit and that was their number three pitcher, hats off to him. He had 24 innings on the year and came in there and through six, he really threw a fourth of his season innings today.
That just tells you what it takes in the playoffs, you never know what can happen. You just gotta go in there and play."
Pye is in his second season as head coach with the Timberwolves, and he said despite the loss, the season was still a success. Posting a 19-9 record and winning the Class 6A District 2 title while playing one of the state's toughest schedules, Pye was thrilled with the outcome.
Pye felt the 11 seniors he had on the roster this year were a special part of the process.
"The season is a successful one. Obviously, the goal is to win at all, but we made steps and we did them in a positive way," Pye said. "The way we finished last year compared to the way we finished this year, I couldn't be prouder to be their coach. The 11 seniors will be very, very missed. But I'm happy for them, and I know they fought until the end."
As the Timberwolves begin to look forward to the next wave of players, Pye said it will be hard to replicate what the 11 seniors did for the program.
"They definitely left a legacy, all the seniors were looked up to," Pye said. "If it was watching this guy hit BP or watching this guy, throw a bullpen or just watching the guy's practice and the way that they worked hard, it was a little things everybody did that was kind of different than normal, and the younger guys looked up to that.
He also said the seniors left an impact on him.
"I'll remember these kids for the rest of my life," Pye said. "I told them right there at the end, 'Guys, the one thing I can tell you is I hope I impacted you as much as you impacted me."
Lincoln cruise by Escambia, book ticket to regional final
The Trojans are moving on, beating Escambia 7-1 on Saturday afternoon and booking a spot in the Class 5A Region 1 final on Monday.
Led by big nights from senior Myles Bailey (2-for-2, three RBI, one home run) and sophomore Lucas Cannaday (2-for-3, two RBI), the Trojans scored at least one run in every inning after a scoreless first and second. Pitcher Nate Dietz struck out three, allowing four hits in the win.
This is the Trojans first regional final since 2022.
Lincoln will host Monday's 5A regional final, facing Clay (18-9), with the first pitch slated for 7 p.m.
North Florida Christian score two late, move on to region finals
The Eagles fly into the Class 2A Region 1 final after a 2-0 win over St. Joseph Academy.
Scoring twice in the bottom of the sixth inning, NFC slammed the door shut on St. Joseph in the seventh, retiring the side in order. A wild pitch scored Ashton Gainer, with Ace Walker doubling on the next pitch to score Caleb Alkema.
Garrett Workman three four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and striking out five.
NFC will hit the road for the regional final, facing St. Johns Country Day for the fourth season in a row. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14.
Wakulla falls to Arnold, season ends in the semifinals
The War Eagles impressive season comes to an end in the Class 4A Region 1 semifinals, falling to Arnold 5-0 on Saturday night.
Arnold took a one-run lead in the second inning, but a four-run explosion in the fifth inning put the game out of the War Eagles reach.
Wakulla sophomore Sam Bruce led the team with two hits, but the War Eagle offense wasn't able to get anything going against Marlins pitchers Eli Blair and Cooper Moss, who struck out a combined 10 batters, allowing only four hits.
Finishing the year 21-6-1, the War Eagles competed at the top of Class 4A this year.
Liam Rooney covers preps sports for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Lincoln, NFC baseball move on to regional finals, Chiles, Wakulla fall
