FORT MYERS – Winter Springs kept knocking at the door.
But every time the pressure mounted, Lincoln slammed it shut.
The top-seeded Bears fell to Tallahassee Lincoln in the Class 5A championship game at Hammond Stadium, as a chaotic five-run third inning proved to be the decisive blow in a 5-4 defeat on Wednesday.
Read more UCF prepares for California Dreamin’ in NCAA softball Super Regional
“Baseball can be cruel,” Winter Springs coach Mike Bradley said. “One bad inning can dictate the entire game, and unfortunately, that’s what happened to us today. We just had one bad inning. We’ve been a resilient team and have never given up. I’m just proud of my boys for not giving in and not giving up. That’s baseball.”
After two scoreless innings with neither side recording a hit, the Trojans finally broke through against Texas Tech commit Tyler Kenast in the third. With the bases loaded and one out, Kenast appeared poised to escape further damage at the plate, but an errant throw from first basemen Chance Baisden on a throw to home allowed the first run of the game to score.
Two more singles chased Kenast from the game earlier than expected, forcing New College commit Robert Mungovan into relief. After a seven-pitch battle, Luke Thomas lined an RBI single to push the lead to 4-0, and an errant throw on the cutoff to second allowed another run to come home, stretching the advantage to 5-0 heading into the bottom of the third.
As they often during the season, Winter Springs answered back immediately. Facing Jacob Rabion in the bottom half of the third, Ed Risano sparked the rally with a leadoff double before Jackson Swann and Owen Swanson drove in runs with a single and a double to cut the deficit to 5-2. Moments later, an errant throw from catcher Emanuel Hernandez on Swanson’s steal of third allowed him to score, pulling the Bears within two runs.
With Ryland Sander in the order, that kneecapped Bradley in keeping Mungovan, his second-best available arm on the mound. Enter Sander, who delivered with four scoreless innings, allowing two hits, no runs, one walk, and four strikeouts.
Bishop Moore baseball walks off in 11-inning win in FHSAA 4A state semifinal
“Ryland has been incredible,” Bradley said. “He’s done it all year long. I think that’s his longest outing. Typically, he’s a two max, one-inning guy. I didn’t plan on going to him. The plan was to stick with him as long as we could, and then finish with Ryland. But because Ryland’s a hitter, I’m gonna let him swing the bat.”
The offensive pressure intensified in the bottom of the fifth, as Swann and Luke Walters opened the inning with singles before a perfectly executed safety squeeze by Swanson brought another run home.
Read more Pictures: First look at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Lincoln answered with back-to-back defensive gems to keep the game within reach. Shortstop Chase Fuller cut down a lead runner going going to third, and right fielder Cody Garber followed with a throw to the plate to catch Kenast, preserving a 5-4 game heading into the late innings.
With the Bears putting runners on first and second with one out in the bottom half of the sixth, Lincoln went to Fuller, a Florida State commit and their closer. After putting every ball in play to that point, the Bears struck out for the first time before a flyout to center ended the threat.
In the seventh, Fuller allowed an infield single but got a pair of groundouts after that against the heart of the Bears order, ending the threat and Winter Springs’ magical season, which included 11 one-run games.
After going to the Final Four as a No. 8 seed in Class 6A Region 1 in 2023 and coming up one run short in Wednesday’s 5A title loss, Bradley’s hopeful that the next step – a state title – is on the horizon.
Hagerty rides freshman pitcher to 7A softball final; East Ridge bats quiet
“It starts with our community,” an emotional Bradley said. “We have a really good baseball community. We’ve got a lot of kids that play the game and are competitive kids. It starts with them, and the families of Winter Springs. They started coming here and stopped going elsewhere to play high school baseball. That’s when Winter Springs started to get good again. It’s a tribute to these players. They work hard. It’s been a good step.
“Next year starts tomorrow, or on the bus ride home. Definitely going to celebrate these guys. I’m just so proud of these guys.”
Read more Hagerty wins historic 7A softball title on Campbell Downing 2-run double