SWFL baseball and softball district champions crowned. See who lifted trophies Thursday night

A roundup of district championship baseball and softball games from Thursday, May 2, 2024:

BASEBALL

Class 5A-District 11

Island Coast 8, Fort Myers 7 (9 Inn.)

The same bat saved the Gators' season and secured the team’s fifth district title.

Trailing 7-6 with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Island Coast sophomore Austin Schoolcraft worked the count full and singled into center field to score a run and send the game into extras. Two innings later, he laid down the bunt that plated Jordi Guerrero’s exuberant dash to home plate in a suicide squeeze.

“Win the game,” Schoolcraft said. “That’s all I was thinking. Win this game.”

Thursday's contest was a chaotic battle of wills with high stakes – both Island Coast and Fort Myers’ seasons were on the line with only the winning team advancing to regionals.

The Gators celebrated joyously, drenching Guerrero with the water cooler, dogpiling in the outfield and hoisting Schoolcraft on their shoulders.

“This was a lot of new starters,” Island Coast head coach Clint Montgomery said. “This team had to grow together. This team had to figure how to play baseball together, how to win games, so as (Guerrero) slid to home plate, it was like a weight off my shoulders.”

Both teams were locked in immediately – Fort Myers’ Madrid Tucker smacked a single on Anthony Ruiz’s first pitch and was scored by Ashton Mora two at-bats later.

Leading off for the Gators, Guerrero hit a solo home run to center field – his second in the district tournament after have none prior during the regular season.

The Island Coast bats got to Fort Myers starter Owen Augustine in the third inning as Jake Fowler, Mason Blackburn, Logan Hawkins and Jayven Torres all drove in runs to build a 6-1 lead.

The Greenies responded in the top of the fifth, rallying to score five runs of their own. Mora, Ethan Monrad, Michael Magas and Luke Fleming plated those runs with one coming via a controversial call at home plate.

Fort Myers got out in front in the sixth when Mora’s sacrifice fly scored Tucker, who went 2-for-2 in stolen bases on the night.

The Gators had become accustomed to close games this season, playing 12 one-run games and winning four of their last five coming into the district title game.

“We kind of changed our philosophy and mindset midway through the season and said, “Hey we’re going to play them, let’s embrace them, let’s be excited to play these games and let’s figure out how to win them,” Montgomery said.

With Alexander Mankin pitching in relief, the Island Coast bats were quiet until the seventh inning when Fowler hit a two-out single and stole second to set the stage for Schoolcraft.

Schoolcraft’s hit and Fowler’s successful slide into home plate electrified the Gator dugout and fans.

Island Coach reliever Hunter Fretwell, who got the win, gave up just one hit in the last three-and-two-thirds innings.

In the ninth inning, the Green Wave issued three walks – two intentional – bringing Schoolcraft to the plate to once again play hero for Island Coast.

“That’s just coming up big in a big moment,” Montgomery said. “That’s every little boy’s dream and stuff like that. It’s pressure packed, but you know when you come through, it’s going to be a memory for that kid’s lifetime. I’m just so happy for him and this group of guys here.”

Tucker got on base in his first four at-bats, collecting three hits and scoring three runs. Mora had three hits and three RBIs for Fort Myers.

The Greenies were not playing this time last season as their season was canceled in early April following the removal of their former head coach . Brad Crone was hired to lead the team out of the turmoil.

“To come in and do what he did this year and have those guys playing like they were playing tonight – that was not a fluke,” Montgomery said. “That team’s going to be a pain in the backside going forward for everyone in Lee County, so congratulations on what he’s building and he’ll continue to do great job.”

Two years on from winning a state championship, the Gators are advancing into the postseason in an entirely different way – by scrapping for every run they can put on the board, especially when the chips are down.

“This was a fitting end to the regular season,” Montgomery said. “The harder it is, the better it is sometimes.”

— Dustin Levy

Class 5A-District 12

Naples 3, Barron Collier 2

Naples came out on top of the Class 5A-District 12 Championship in enemy territory on Thursday night, riding a hot start to a 3-2 win over Barron Collier.

The Golden Eagles (21-7) started the game with three straight singles from Nico Blanco, Mac O’Malley, and Johnny King. With bases loaded, Vance Landry belted a two-RBI single that scored O’Malley and Blanco.

Suddenly, Naples was up 2-0 before there were even two outs in the first inning.

“We’ve been kind of of starting off slow in all the other games, but this one we came after it,” King said. “It just shows how good of a team we are. And we’re just now showing it... It's a dream come true. [Winning here] is the best thing we can ask for. I mean, it's a blessing, you know.”

The two-run cushion, combined with a strong night from Brendan Murphy, was enough for the Golden Eagles to ride to a district title.

Murphy went 5.2 innings and 105 pitches in the win. After a shaky start with five walks through the first three innings, he finished the night with six punchouts and two earned runs on five hits. Once Murphy settled in, he didn’t give up another walk for the rest of the game.

“I knew I wasn’t hitting the strike zone that much, giving up a couple of walks here and there in the first inning,” Murphy said. “I gave a run in each of those two innings, and I think it was the third inning that I flipped a switch in my head and reminded myself that I’m supposed to be here. That I can carve up these kids. Once I flipped that switch I knew it was over.”

“Brendan Murphy is great, but he had an off night tonight,” said head coach Jimmy Nocera. “He wasn’t spotting his fastball early, and they made his pitch count go high. But typical Murphy, because he’s a gamer, he just settled in and did what he had to do to give us some innings.”

The Cougars responded in the bottom of the first. After Mikey Metclaf drew a walk off Murphy, Casey Felts hit a sacrifice grounder that scored Metclaf. A double from Kaydhen Collier in the second brought home Dylan Wiggins for the run that knotted things up at 2-2.

But Murphy, and the rest of the Golden Eagle defense, held strong for the next five innings.

The Golden Eagles scored the go-ahead run in the top of the third off an RBI single from Brandon Garcia, who brought home King. King went 2-for-3 with a double and one run while adding solid play at first base.

“Expectations were for the team to become very good together, and all work together with chemistry,” King said. “Obviously, we did that tonight, everyone [played] as a team and no one was selfish. That’s what we do best.”

The Cougars had the game-tying run in scoring position several times in the loss, but never managed to cash in. The most gut-wrenching for the Cougars (21-7) came at the bottom of the fifth. After Murphy fanned back-to-back batters to start the frame, Joshua Guitard reached first on an error, then Bryce Aizenshtat put runners on first and second with his single. But a flyout from Dylan Wiggins ended Barron Collier’s chance to even things up.

The Cougars never got another runner in scoring position.

“[Murphy] competed, we competed,” said Barron Collier head coach Adam Johnson. “We had one bad inning. We just had to settle in, but I couldn’t be more proud of these guys.”

Nolan Bittner came in to close for the Golden Eagles with two outs in the bottom of the sixth. He allowed no hits nor runs through 1.1 innings while walking two.

Alan Overmyer pitched a complete game for Barron Collier. He gave up three earned runs on nine hits while fanning four. Overmyer didn’t give up a walk in the loss.

“The first inning, he was missing up a little bit,” Johnson said. “They scored those two runs, then he settled down and got in the groove. He threw a great game, still under 80 pitches I think. It’s just awesome. It’s a shame somebody has to lose that game.”

The Cougars kept their chances alive by turning a double play to close the top of the seventh. The Golden Eagles returned the favor with a double play of their own to end the game.

Six different Golden Eagles managed a hit in the win. Blanco and O’Malley both had a pair of hits with one run each, while Landry finished 1-for-3 with two RBI. Garcia went 1-for-3 with one RBI.

Aizenshtat had two of Barron Collier’s four hits as a team. Jonathan Hernandez-Carr and Wiggins scored one run each.

The Golden Eagles, who were suddenly moved down from the No. 3 Seed to the No. 4 seed in the district just before the playoffs, wrapped a week with hard-fought wins over South Fort Myers, Gulf Coast, and Barron Collier.

“What they do when you’re good leaders is you make the other guys better,” Nocera said. “You get them up for atmospheres like this, you know, fans are in it, both teams are going at it hard. Nobody panicked, nobody flinched. And that’s what I think this program is about. When you come to Naples High you better be ready to play in this atmosphere.”

— Nick Wilson

Class 2A-District 12

SFCA 14, Canterbury 9

Trailing by six runs to a nemesis that’s made a habit of spoiling their district championship hopes, the King’s proved they were finally worthy of that elusive crown.

Southwest Florida Christian (18-5) exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, powering its way past the Cougars to clam the first district title in the program’s history.

“They’ve always been a tough opponent for us,” said King’s head coach Nick Gerwitz, who spent 10 years as an assistant at SFCA before taking over the team this season. “This means a ton for the whole school and for the program.”

Canterbury, which defeated the King’s in back-to-back championship games in 2018 and 2019, looked poised to do so once again Thursday night at SFCA. The Cougars (16-11) erased an early 1-0 deficit by scoring three runs in the top of the second inning, with the first two coming on an RBI double by the No. 9 hitter, senior outfielder Garret McManus.

The King’s scored single runs in next two innings, knotting the game at 3-3 on a third-inning solo home run to straightaway center field by outfielder Aiden Matyas.

Canterbury chased SFCA starter Tyler Miller in the fifth, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring six runs on four hits, three walks and an error.

However, the first three King’s to come to the plate in the bottom of the fifth all reached base against Cougars left-handed reliever Christopher Risola, bringing up Matyas. The junior, who entered the game with three long balls in 69 at-bats this season, blasted another no-doubter deep over the center field fence to send the SFCA crowd and his dugout into a frenzy.

“I was just thinking about driving in a couple of runs and I ended up driving them all in,” said Matyas, who drove in six runs in the win. “It was a great feeling. I just looked at my friends, my teammates, and I was just hyped.”

Canterbury junior Gavin Cramer, the Cougars’ third pitcher of the game, came in and retired the first two batters he faced. But a walk, a bad-hop single, another single, a wild pitch and a two-run double by senior shortstop Jake Trottier gave the King’s a 10-9 lead, one they would never relinquish.

Senior Will Higby, who started the game in center field, closed out the game for SFCA with two scoreless innings, striking out the side in the seventh to wrap up the King’s long-awaited championship.

“We just played the best game of our lives,” Matyas said. “Now we’re going to come out in regionals and play the best we can.”

Canterbury, which entered the game on a five-game winning streak, is still likely to qualify for the state tournament.

“That’s why I really was surprised; I thought we’d come out and do a little better tonight,” Cougars head coach Frank Turco said. “I thought we were riding on a high … but that’s how baseball is. It’s a funny game.

“But tip your hat to them, they wanted it more than we did. We had a chance to make plays and we didn’t, it’s that simple.”

— Dan DeLuca

Class 4A-District 12

Estero 6, Lemon Bay 2

A five-run third inning was more than Estero starter Drue Overmyer would need as the Wildcats captured the district title Thursday night.

Overmyer allowed only one run while striking out four in 6.2 innings for the win. Overmyer was also the go-ahead run and Landon Brown scored behind him on a two-run single by second baseman Justin Trometer in the third inning. Estero left fielder Rylan Stewart drove in more with a hit and he scored on an infield single.

“Well, we’ve been doing that quite a bit this year. We just wait for that second, third time through the lineup and we start teeing off on teams,” Estero coach Patrick Moore said.

Lemon Bay got three great innings of relief by Mayson Roberts as he struck out three and allowed only two singles. However, the Manta Rays offense couldn’t score after the first inning against Overmyer. From the second inning through the seventh only 9 of the 25 batters he faced reached base. In the sixth inning after a one-out walk, Overmyer was helped by a tremendous play by second baseman Ian Messenger, diving to his left to steal a base hit and rally away from the Manta Rays.

“This is the first time we won a district title on this field," Moore said. "This is a big deal for me, a big deal for players and their parents who worked hard all year. We had a lot of faith and we called on it all year long.”

— Ty Maranzatto

Class 6A-District 12

Charlotte 8, Riverdale 6

PUNTA GORDA ― The last time the Charlotte High School baseball team won a district championship, the current players were in one of two places, in a crib or the womb.

And for five innings, it looked like the Tarpons had it in the bag. And then everything collapsed. A 5-0 lead disintegrated into a 6-5 deficit thanks to a dropped fly ball.

But Charlotte had Braddock Marshall, who had four hits, including a game-tying double, and Dylan Klossner, who drove home the winning run with another double as the Tarpons came back for an 8-6 victory, their first championship since 2009.

Charlotte coach Lavell Cudjo said his team just couldn't make it easy, but got the job done.

"We tried to give it to them, but we found the way to battle back. We didn't stop and in the end it worked out for us," Cudjo said.

Frank Planer was rolling through the Raiders lineup, striking out 12 in 5 2/3 innings, but he ran out of gas in the sixth.

Planer allowed four walks, including one with the bases loaded before Wyatt Simmons blopped one up the middle that Klossner couldn't corral at second to make it 5-3.

Dalton Hill came in and allowed a Nick Gonzales fly ball to left that was muffled by Jacob Evak for a three-run error to give Riverdale an improbable 6-5 lead.

The Tarpons recovered against Logan Krause, Riverdale's fourth pitcher. Brody Brantley walked to lead off the sixth and was bunted to second. Marshall came in and tied the game with a double to right to tie the game at 6.

With two out, Klossner drilled another pitch to score Marshall for the game-winning run. Dominic Giglio added some insurance with an RBI single two batters later.

Marshall said because the lineup is so stacked, pitchers have to face him at their peril.

"We have a great lineup in front of me. He could have walked me but they know we have dangerous hitters in the 2 through 5 spots," Marshall said. "It makes it easy for me."

Krause, who took the loss in relief, had two hits for the Raiders (12-14). Coach Bob Pringle said he was proud of his team's effort, but failed to finish, a problem all season for Riverdale.

"That pitcher was on. He tied us up and not many teams have done that," Pringle said. "We've struggled closing games out. It's been an Achilles' heel all year. I don't know what we could have done different."

— Chuck Ballaro

Class 3A-District 8

Bishop Verot 8, Oasis 0

Maddix Simpson shut down Oasis, giving up one hit and no runs while striking out seven over four innings while Jason Bello did the rest with three scoreless innings of one-hit ball to complete the championship shutout.

Simpson added two hits with two runs and two RBI while Bello drove in three for the Vikings (22-5). Braylon Sheffield added two hits and two RBI.

— Staff Reports

SOFTBALL

Class 3A-District 12

Bishop Verot 14, Aubrey Rogers 4

Upstart Aubrey Rogers used some good baserunning and a Bishop Verot compounded mistake of a passed ball and bad throw home to take a quick 2-0 lead in its District 3A-12 title.

But there’s a reason Vikings coach Chris Gatewood had won district titles in each of his first three seasons and had 19 wins already this year. Bishop Verot settled down and its bats came alive as Gianni Torres, Alexalys Torres, and Paige Bettermann drove in 10 runs as the Vikings made sure Gatewood improved to 4 for 4 with a 14-4 win in five innings.

“When I came in here four years ago now, I feel like we've kind of gotten a little bit better each year being able to kind of build up the program and I only got one girl left over here, Lillie Layne is my last one here that I got on the team that was she actually came in when I came in here,” said Gatewood, whose team improved to 20-6-1. “So she's my last one that I got left to get four in a row so it's something special and you know, hopefully, we're able to keep building something special here and just keep it keep it going.”

Tied 3-3 going into the bottom of the second, Gianni Torres hit a bases-loaded, two-run single, and after two outs, Alexalys Torres drove in two more with a single for a 7-3 lead after two innings. Verot added three more in the fourth on a Layne RBI single and a two-run triple by Bettermann.

The Patriots got one back in the top of the fifth as Sophia Truchan snapped a Vikings pitcher Payton Breadmore run of nine Patriots batters retired in a row with a walk and then scored on a double.

The Vikings ended it in the bottom half as Gianni Torres drove in one and Alexalys Torres drove in two before a Tianna Wolfson chopper to third scored Melanie Moreno for the 14 ^th and game ending run as the mercy rule kicked in.

Despite the defeat, Aubrey Rogers (14-12) picked up a district runner-up trophy in its first season of varsity ball. The Patriots have a roster of all freshmen and sophomores other than senior McKenzie Vargas, who hit a single and scored Aubrey’s first run.

“Sometimes when you have some younger players, I think we've had a little bit of a roller coaster,” Patriots coach Holly Stevens-Davis said. “So I think for them to be standing in this game, I think for them to start the first inning the way they did. And then if we could jump into regionals our first year, I think it just talks to what potentially we're going to be, but no matter what, it's really been a great season. It's been super fun.”

— Ed Reed

Class 5A-District 11

North Fort Myers 8, Ida Baker 1

North Fort Myers put a quick stop to any hopes of Ida Baker pulling back-to-back upsets when Kaliyah Williams slammed a line drive into left field giving the Red Knights a lead they would never look back from in winning the district title Thursday night.

Ida Baker (14-9) got off to a quick start when Julie Nieves led off the first with a single. A sac bunt and a passed ball later Nieves trotted home on a Aylssa Auger ground ball putting the Bulldogs up 1-0. The Bulldogs had shocked Fort Myers the night before and were riding a five-game winning streak.

The Red Knights (21-5) didn’t seem to take notice storming back by loading the bases thanks to a walk and two hit batters.  Williams lined a triple to deep left field and North Fort Myers took a 3-1 lead.

“It put a big smile on my face because when you have a lead you can make a mistake or two,” said Red Knights coach Jeff Miner.

But there would be no mistakes.  Williams would score on an Alison Smith sacrifice fly to make it 4-1.

“We just needed to stay focused and still play as a team and I knew we had the ability to come back because we’re a good hitting team,” said Williams.

Williams went to work in the second striking out two Ida Baker batters, ending the game with eight strikeouts.

Audrie Florenzano continued the North attack, lining a pitch to right, scoring Abigail Hynes putting North Fort Myers up 5-1. North Fort Myers would add single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth.

“Defense, pitching, and catching was the difference in this game,” said Miner.

— John Rinkenbaugh

Class 6A-District 8

Riverdale 7, Charlotte 3

PUNTA GORDA – It was the type of juxtaposition seen only when a title is on the line.

In right field, the Riverdale Raiders, smiling and chirping, fell into position for a team photo, holding a piece of hard-won hardware front and center.

In left field, the Charlotte Tarpons stood mute, listening to coaches who told the moral of Thursday’s sad story while also trying to keep a very good team’s spirits from cratering.

The Raiders screamed. The Tarpons sobbed.

Riverdale 7, Charlotte 3, a score that really doesn’t tell the story of how the District 6A-11 softball championship transpired.

“They were just kind of kept dinking it around and we couldn’t get outs, so that’s what happens when you let somebody hang around and hang around and hang around,” Charlotte coach Dave Anthony said. “You know, when you feel like you’re the better team, but you let them hang around. You give ‘em a chance, you let them feel like they can win, and then they do.”

It could be argued the Tarpons were the hangers on, as they struggled mightily to get anything going against Raiders starting pitcher, Jordyn Korpi. In starting the lesser-used Korpi rather than staff ace Adrianna Manetta, Riverdale played a hunch that paid off.

“We haven’t seen her before and she hasn’t pitched that much for them,” Anthony said. “It didn’t seem like anything crazy, but we just couldn’t get it going. We had seen (Manetta) the first time we played them and I think they just wanted to try something different because we hit the other kid really good.”

Korpi’s lefthanded repertoire flummoxed the Tarpons throughout the night and she pitched with a lead most of the way. Riverdale pushed solo runs across in each of the first two innings but gave one back to Charlotte in the bottom of the second.

It remained 2-1 until the bottom of the sixth when Lexi Fitzgerald roped a leadoff triple to right and scored on a Mia Flores sacrifice.

A quiet seventh inning led to a noisy eighth.

Riverdale immediately put Charlotte on its heels when Sara Hall led off with a sinking line drive that snuck under Arista Turner’s outstretched glove in right field. It was enough to score the ghost runner from second base and get Hall to third with a triple.

That’s when the game got weird.

Nicole Ramirez hit a comebacker to Charlotte pitcher Dava Hoffer, who attempted to freeze Hall at third base. A rundown ensued, seemingly resulting in a 1-5-2-6 put-out. Hall and Riverdale’s third base coach immediately called for obstruction against Tarpons shortstop Amber Chumley and the home plate umpire walked up the line and agreed, ruling Hall safe back at third.

The scene nearly ended in a scrum before order was restored.

Alas, order is not the same thing as composure, and it was clear the Tarpons had lost theirs.

Faced with runners on second and third, the Tarpons opted for an intentional walk to load the bases with no outs. The strategy appeared to pay off as Korpi hit a hard ground ball to Chumley, but her only play wound up being to first base, allowing Hall to score.

Madison Bell followed with a single up the middle for a 5-2 Raiders lead. Marina Colon’s run-scoring groundout and Sophia Castaneda’s single pushed the Riverdale lead to 7-2 before the Tarpons could extract themselves from the inning.

Charlotte scored its own ghost runner on a Maddie Stamm sacrifice fly, but that would be all it could muster.

Riverdale improved to 20-7 with the win and secured one of the eight region playoff bids.

— Pat Obley

Class 5A-District 12

Barron Collier 13, Immokalee 3

When Barron Collier softball coach Sivan Palacios wanted a spark for her team in its District 5A-12 championship game Thursday night, she needed to look only at the top of the Cougars lineup.

Barron's top five hitters came up with 12 hits, and it was enough offense for BC to chalk up a victory over Immokalee.

The Cougars (14-7) came up with a pair of runs in both the second and third innings and then belted the Indians with four in the fifth.

Barron Collier (14-7) had 16 hits. Gianna Frino had three hits and three RBI. Jordyn Kinn had two hits and two RBI for the Cougars. Sheila Forbes, Gabby Alvarez, and Abby Rascher had three hits apiece at the top of the order as every BC starter but one had at least a hit.

“I’m proud of the girls, because the bats really came to life,” said Palacios. “We just wanted to win, and they played their hardest. They took advantage of everything tonight.”

It was the Cougars’ second victory over the Indians in the last month. BC also beat Immokalee (13-10) 12-1 back on April 4.

Leah Forbes allowed only four hits and a walk with one earned run for the win.

“She’s been pitching every game,” Palacios said. “She’s been doing really good, and at the end of the season, she has been getting even better. Before Wednesday night, we want to get in more at-bats, and repetition on the field. We just want to work on regular stuff.”

Forbes felt everyone contributed, and that was key.

“We came out ready to play. I came out and did my job,” Forbes said. “And we showed them what Barron Collier softball is. It was important to get ahead of the count with the first strike, and I tried to have the mindset that I wanted to get ahead right from the first pitch. We accelerated with a lot of passion for the game. We wanted to be back-to-back champions and set ourselves up for success.”

Barron scored two in the second when Kinn reached on a two-base error and then Frino tripled her home. Frino scored a few minutes later on another error.

The Cougars made it 4-0 in the third when Kinn and Frino each came up with an RBI single.

The Indians got their only run in the bottom of the fourth when Brianice Silguero doubled, went to third on an infield out, and scored on a Cougar miscue.

Barron scored four times in the fifth on consecutive singles by Alvarez, Rascher, Kinn and Frino and then a double by Regan Means

— Tom Corwin

Class 2A-District 12

Evangelical Christian 13, SFCA 0

The Sentinels won their fourth straight district title as senior pitcher Zoe Yzaguirre threw a five-inning no-hitter, allowing just one walk while striking out 13.

Payton Billie drove in four, including a three-run double in the third inning, and Sam Yzaguirre drove in two in the third inning with a triple for ECS (25-2). Makayla Jakubuwski and Karsyn Mootz also drove in two apiece.

— Staff Reports

Class 4A-District 12

LaBelle 11, Bonita Springs 1

Marissa Burchard hit two home runs, drove in three runs, and scored three times to pace the Cowgirls to the title. Brooke Black also homered and drove in four runs. Abby Hicks allowed only one run on five hits and struck out eight for the win.

The Cowgirls scored six runs in the fourth inning. Carli Spencer doubled scoring one run, Emorie Anderson singled scoring one run, Hicks singled scoring one run, and Black hit a two-run home run over the left-center field fence. Calia White singled, scoring one run. Taylor Cochran, Anderson, and Payton Crews had multiple hits to help LaBelle win back-to-back district championships.

— Staff Reports

Follow Sports Reporters Alex Martin, Dustin Levy, Dan DeLuca, Nick Wilson, and Sports Editor Ed Reed on X: @NP_AlexMartin , @DustinBLevy , @NewsPressDan , @wilson32nick , and @EDREED_NP . For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: SWFL baseball and softball district champions crowned. See who lifted trophies Thursday night