Five area baseball teams secured playoff spots by winning district titles this past week. Northeast, Northside Christian, Calvary Christian, Clearwater Central Catholic and Osceola all were champions, with performances ranging from a near-perfect game to a 14-inning pitching duel decided by a single run.
Northeast rolls past St. Petersburg
Northeast took home the Class 5A, District 10 title with a 12-1 rout of St. Petersburg, avenging an earlier 5-0 loss to the Green Devils.
The Vikings (14-10) pounded out 10 hits and drew five walks, continuing their turnaround after a 2-6 start.
Forrest Nelson earned the win, scattering three hits over four innings with two strikeouts. Peyton Schmidt worked an inning, walking one and allowing no hits.
Connor Mook paced the Northeast offense, going 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Schmidt added two hits, including a double, and stole two bases. Liam Catalina also had two hits, while Evan Halle drove in three runs.
Camrin Grimes, Charlie Tatelbaum and Braden Stofan each contributed hits for the Vikings, who stole four bases as a team.
St. Petersburg managed just three hits. Auston Meissner led the Green Devils with two hits, and Parker Smith added a single.
Thomas Grizzard took the loss, giving up five runs on four hits over three innings.
Northside Christian shuts out Canterbury
Northside Christian capped a dominant run through the Class 1A, District 10 tournament with an 8-0 victory over Canterbury, completing a three-game sweep in which the Mustangs outscored Lakeside Christian, Keswick Christian and the Crusaders by a combined 30-0.
Now 13-14, Northside Christian pounded out 11 hits and played errorless defense behind a dominant pitching performance.
Donovan Fox and Ashton Cox combined on a shutout. Fox earned the win, scattering five hits over five scoreless innings with six strikeouts. Cox followed with two hitless innings of relief, walking two and striking out three.
Danilo Soto led the offense, going 2-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Nick Franklin added two hits, two RBIs and two stolen bases. Preston Hamelynck also had two hits, including a double, and Brady Jones drove in two runs.
Ashton Cox, Jameson Moan, Yordan Rosendo and Gabe Currier each added a hit for Northside Christian, which swiped seven bases.
Canterbury managed six hits but stranded eight runners. Gabe Blaxberg led the Crusaders with two hits, including a double. Lucas Blaxberg, Andre Monzon, Bode Bouis and Cruz Guzman each had one hit.
Gabe Blaxberg took the loss, giving up eight runs — seven earned — on nine hits over four innings.
Calvary Christian combines on near-perfect game
Calvary Christian’s pitching staff came one walk away from perfection, combining on a no-hitter in a 17-0 rout of Dunedin in the Class 3A, District 10 final.
The Warriors (25-1), ranked 20th in the state and second in Class 3A by MaxPreps, needed just four innings to put the game away.
Caden Schlotterbeck worked three perfect innings with six strikeouts. Cooper Notz closed out the fourth, striking out two but issuing a walk to Lukas Klipper — the only Dunedin baserunner of the game. The Warriors combined for eight strikeouts and faced just one batter over the minimum.
The offense pounded out 13 hits, including five doubles and a home run. Matthew Bowser launched a homer and finished 2-for-3 with five RBIs. Chase Brady went 2-for-2 with a double and four RBIs, while Nathan Curé doubled and drove in two.
Micah Murton added two doubles and an RBI, and Tripp Fecarotta drove in three runs. Jase Traina, Jack Hunter and Brett Garcy each contributed two hits, with Garcy adding a double.
Calvary Christian drew seven walks and worked Dunedin’s staff for 122 pitches across four innings.
Clearwater Central Catholic outlasts Tampa Prep 1-0 in 14 innings
Clearwater Central Catholic scratched out a 1-0 win over Tampa Prep in 14 innings in the Class 2A, District 10 final, marking the second time this season the Marauders beat the Terrapins by that score.
The Marauders (16-8), who have won six straight games, needed every bit of a marathon pitching duel to break through.
Roman Petruccelli struck out five over two hitless innings. Sam Heintz went five innings, allowing two hits and three walks while striking out seven. Cooper Riley threw three scoreless innings, and Josh Rodrigues tossed four frames, giving up three hits and striking out five. The four-man staff combined for 21 strikeouts.
Luke Brkljacic led the CCC offense, going 3-for-5. Austin Snyder added two hits. Justin Ficca, Riley, Jamie Vann and Beau LeCain each contributed a hit, with Ficca scoring the lone run.
Tampa Prep’s Erik Skiendziel was brilliant in a no-decision, striking out 10 over 7 2/3 innings while allowing four hits. Tyler Kin gave up six hits and the unearned run over 5 2/3 innings of relief.
Jordan Della Rocca had two hits for the Terrapins. Liam Akins, Kin, Luc Thornton and Dennis Martino each added a hit.
Osceola tops rival Seminole
Osceola edged rival Seminole 3-1 to claim the Class 4A, District 10 championship, matching the score of the teams’ earlier meeting this season — also a 3-1 Warriors win.
Now 20-5 and winners of six of their last seven, the Warriors leaned on a strong pitching effort and just enough offense to get past the Warhawks.
Leo Alvarado earned the win, allowing one run on six hits over five innings with seven strikeouts. Richard Stegbauer closed it out with two scoreless innings of relief, giving up one hit and striking out three. The Osceola staff combined for 10 strikeouts.
Maxwell Wing led the offense, going 2-for-2 with a walk. Zach Spadorcia tripled and drove in a run, and Connor Daly added a hit and an RBI. Ethan Futch doubled, while Aiden Dyals also had a hit. The Warriors drew five walks.
Noah Ritchie took the loss for Seminole, giving up three hits and two runs — one earned — over two innings. Starter Bailey White went four innings, scattering three hits and allowing one unearned run with four strikeouts.
Ritchie led the Warhawks at the plate, going 3-for-4. Jackson Fehr added two hits. Patrick Mazzei and Cole Worley each doubled.