The First Academy, last year’s Class 2A baseball state champ, had to score four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to keep its season alive with a 5-4 win against Santa Fe Catholic in a region quarterfinal game at home last week.
Cannon Koronka was 4 for 4 with a home run, double and 2 RBI for TFA , while Jaxson Wells went 2 for 3 with a run and and RBI.
TFA (18-10), seeded second in the region, now hosts third seed Montverde Academy (17-8) in a best-of-three semifinal series. Game 1 is Friday. The final and the if necessary game are scheduled for Saturday.
No. 8 Lake Mary (17-9) at No. 4 West Orange (18-10)
No. 5 Martin County (20-6) at No. 1 Bloomingdale (22-4)
No. 3 Melbourne (20-4) at No. 2 Lake Minneola (21-5)
No. 4 Cypress Creek-Wesley Chapel (16-9) at No. 1 Winter Springs (21-5)
No. 5 Mount Dora (15-8) at No. 1 Bishop Moore (25-2)
No. 3 Ocala Vanguard (18-7) at No. 2 Eustis (15-12)
No. 4 Cocoa Beach (16-10) at No. 1 Lakeland Christian (19-3)
No. 4 Deltona Trinity (14-8) at No. 1 Orangewood (22-3)
No. 3 St. Francis Catholic (22-4) at No. 2 Mount Dora Christian (22-5)
Trinity Prep’s region champ boys team, playing close to home, scored a 5-0 sweep against Berkeley Prep in a Class 1A state quarterfinal on Wednesday morning at Red Bug Lake Park in Casselberry.
The Saints No. 1 player, Ben Demetriades, won his singles match 7-5, 6-2 and teamed with Nathan Lu for a 4-1, 4-0 doubles win. Spencer Song and Taine Miller both scored singles wins. And Miller and William Orosz won the No. 2 doubles line in a tiebreaker.
The Saints, the No. 4 seed, will play No. 1 True North Classical of Miami in a Thursday semifinal scheduled for 8 a.m. The winner advances to a noon final.
Innovation’s girls team lost to Niceville 4-1 in Wednesday’s first day of the 3A state tournament at Sanlando Park. The Bulls’ boys team is the top seed and played a later match against Matanzas.
As always, Saturday’s 4A Region 1 meet at Sanford Seminole is loaded with many of the area’s best.
Area boys event leaders include Ocoee’s elite 110-meter hurdler Jaiden Manning, whose best of 13.83 seconds leads all of 4A; along with his teammate Devin Mathews, who has run 47.27 in the 400 and 1:52.27 in the 800.
Two high jumpers who dueled back and forth in the District 4 meet, Wesley Morisseau of Lake Minneola and Tucker Crawley of West Orange, will compete again. Both cleared 6-7½ last week, with Morisseau winning on fewer misses.
Others include Winter Park’s Jonathan Slack and Wekiva’s Avantae Scott in the 200 (21.15 and 21.32); Oviedo brothers Colin Sysun and Aiden Sysun in the 1,600 (4:13.27 and 4:15.42); and Lake Brantley pole vaulter Connor McCarthy (14-1¾).