So far, so good for Orangewood Christian baseball.
One year after suffering an extra inning loss in a FHSAA Class 1A state semifinal the Rams got past that hurdle on Thursday with a 6-4 victory against St. John Neumann Catholic (21-14) of Naples in Fort Myers.
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Orangewood (27-3) scored three runs in the top of the first inning to grab momentum, and junior pitcher Max Sakala did enough on the mound to secure the win. He had eight strikeouts in 6⅔ innings pitched and also went 3-for-4 at the plate with a double and a run batted in. Aiden Balls came on to get the final out for the save.
“We executed the little things that matter,” Rams coach Scott Hilinski said. “Our guys executed bunts, executed on the base paths by stealing bases when it mattered, and played with great energy.”
Addison Lambert also had three hits, a run scored and an RBI. Sam Lambert added two hits and a run scored.
Orangewood, which entered the final four No. 4 in the 1A rankings, will play for the championship at Hammond Stadium at 11 a.m. Saturday against second-ranked St. John’s Country Day (25-8) of Orange Park. The Spartans shut out Schoolhouse Prep (17-14) of Miami, 5-0, in the opening semifinal Thursday.
No. 1 ranked Canterbury (26-5) of Fort Myers was knocked out by Neumann, 2-1, in a best of three region final series last week.
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Both Orangewood and SJCD are 8-0 in postseason play — including district tournament and regional play. Something has to give on Saturday.
It will be the third baseball state final for the Rams, who are 0-2 in FHSAA championship games.
Orangewood was a runner-up in 2011 under the guidance of Alan Kunkel, now the head coach for The First Academy. The Rams reached the 2014 final in Hilinski’s third year at the helm. Their 2025 semifinal loss was to Canterbury.
“I can’t be more excited and proud of the boys,” Hilinski said. “They believe in their ability to play in big games and big moments.”
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