Buchholz Sets New Standard With Third Straight Playoff Run

Winning the championship is not easy. As the Buchholz Bobcats watched the chances slip away late in their quest for their first state championship at Saturday’s Class 6A state final, they once again had to accept the consolation of knowing they are still so close.

The Bobcats played in their third straight state title game, but suffered defeat for the third straight time as the defending-champion St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders pulled away late for a 5-1 victory, at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

“They are not defined by what’s in the trophy case,” Buchholz Manager Chris Malphurs said. “It is so incredibly difficult to get here and win the first game, and then to win the last game. We are inching closer.”

The Bobcats embraced the challenge of the rematch against the deeply-talented Aquinas roster. Buchholz (24-8) quieted the Raiders’ big bats the first time through the order to keep them scoreless, and took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.

Tyler Thurmond walked to give the Bobcats a lead-off base runner, and courtesy-runner Ashton Norris replaced him to run the bases. Norris waited for his pitch, and then swiped second base on a 2-1 delivery. Two batters later Roen Kresak singled past third for an RBI single that drove Norris across the plate to give Buchholz a valuable lead.

The Raiders (28-6) answered right back with two runs in the fourth to grab the lead. Mauricio Clement delivered the big hit with a two-RBI single to center.

But Bobcats senior starter Reed Thomas worked out of any further trouble, as he delivered a strong outing to keep his team in the game and give his offense a chance to answer back. Thomas pitched into the seventh inning, allowing three earned runs on eight hits and three walks. He had two strikeouts.

“This is the best senior class in Buchholz history,” Malphurs said of Thomas and all of his eight seniors. “They have set high expectations for future Buchholz teams to live up to.”

St. Thomas Aquinas added some valuable insurance late to pull away, and the Bobcats’ bats were unable to respond one last time as they had done all season long to reach this point again. The final six batters were retired in order, as the offense was held to just two hits on the day.

While Saturday did not provide the desired end result, it cannot be overlooked all that the team accomplished in order to be one of the last team’s still alive in the FHSAA playoffs. Buchholz had not lost since March 30th, winning 13 straight and going undefeated during the playoffs. After dropping to 11-7 with that March loss, the Bobcats refocused to play their best baseball and maintain the standard that has now become their norm.

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