FLEMING ISLAND - Down 3-0 and without head coach Mike Martino in the dugout, the Fleming Island High baseball team dug down in the dugout to find four late runs and defeat Fletcher in their district 3-6A quarterfinal Monday night to advance to a semifinal on Tues., April 30.
"My team has my back when I'm on the mound," said starting pitcher Aaron Hawkins. "No one on the team ever gave up. That's our thing."
With coach Mike Martino sitting out a self-imposed suspension for an accusation of overpitching in a recent regular season game, the Golden Eagles allowed Fletcher to get a 3-0 lead into the fifth inning.
With a three-base bunt from Caden Swartz off errors by Fletcher and a dropped infield fly, the Golden Eagles responded in the sixth and seventh innings with baserunner Declan Dunleavy scoring the game-tying run with a dive ahead of an outfield throw, then Swartz jogging in for the game-winner.
Hawkins controlled the game into the seventh with reliever Jonah Friedman finishing off the Fletcher lineup.
The Monday night game was a second comeback game for the Golden Eagles who used an error-free defense all night, a two-out, two-run late-game rally to catch the visiting Bartram Trail Bears hibernating in left field. Down 1-0, Chris Reali knocked an RBI double to the fence in the bottom of the fifth, followed by Ryan Kiley also going to left field for another RBI double to give the Golden Eagles all they needed with the 2-1 regular season-closing win.
“This week we won a game 5-4, we lost a game 5-4, we won tonight 2-1. Looking at the playoffs, we’re ready,” said Fleming Island Head Coach Mike Martino. “Three tight games against really good teams are what we needed. Fletcher (district round one) is going to be a big challenge. We’re very evenly matched. Last time we played it was a dogfight.”
Against Bartram Trail, the difference maker was the Fleming Island defense not making a single mistake and being on point when it mattered most.
Fleming Island, the fourth seed, travels to No. 1 Tocoi Creek for their semifinal with Buchholz hosting Oakleaf in the other semifinal.
Oakleaf (17-8) exploded in the sixth inning off a 3RBI double from Elijah Brown to score a 4-0 win over First Coast to advance. Buchholz beat Nease 2-0 to advance.
In district 4-3A, Keystone Heights got a solo homer from Austin Musgrove and Connor Guy on the mound with four strikeouts, but no hits to beat Taylor 12-0 in their district quarterfinal.
In the second inning, Keystone Heights scored six runs to run away with the game with a walk, a double by Aiden Screen, singles from Andru Siemer and Guy and a walk to Alex Addington
Keystone Heights (19-7) advances to host P.K. Yonge on Tues., April 30 with Trinity Catholic hosting Father Lopez.
In district 3-5A, semifinals will be played on Tues., April 30 with No. 1 Clay hosting No. 4 Middleburg and No. 2 Ridgeview hosting NO. 3 Orange Park.
In District 2-2A, St. Johns Country Day School (19-5) hosts No. 4 Harvest Community (11-8) in a semifinal while No. 2 St. Joseph Academy (17-8) hosts No. 3 Christs Church Academy (15-7) with a Thurs., May 2 championship game.