Orange City University,
University faces Timber Creek in 9A state title game
behind a no-hitter from Logan Allen, and Timber Creek earn semifinal wins to reach 9A baseball title game; Hagerty in 8A final.
FORT MYERS — Logan Allen was nearly perfect in his final high school pitching performance.
The senior lefty, named Gatorade Florida player of the year earlier this week, put the finishing touches on an outstanding prep pitching career by accomplishing one of the few things he hadn’t already done.
Allen tossed a no-hitter in a 4-0 Class 9A state semifinal win against Miami Palmetto (22-7) on Friday.
The FIU signee and pro prospect struck out 10 and allowed only one runner — on a walk in the seventh and final inning — at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.
University (25-6) advances to the 9A state title game for the second time in three years. The Titans will take on Timber Creek (24-7) in an all-Central Florida final tonight at 7:35 p.m.
The Wolves, who lost a semifinal to University, two years ago, defeated Jupiter 4-2 on Friday.
Allen finished his senior season with a 13-0 record and microscopic 0.35 ERA.
His no-no was the first in an FHSAA state tournament game since Chas Spottswood of Key West no-hit Pensacola Catholic in 2005.
Allen had a 33-3 record in his three-year varsity career, including a 13-1 mark in postseason play. He struck out 391 batters.
This year he fanned 150 in 81 innings while walking 11 and allowing only 29 hits and four runs scored.
Allen was 2-for-4 to raise his batting average for the season to .450. He gave himself an early cushion to work with in the top of the first when he turned on the first pitch he saw from Palmetto lefty Matt Turner and hit a home run to left field. Allen drove in two more runs with a single in the fourth inning.
Cameron Robinson (7-0, 1.39 ERA), who made a diving catch in right field to preserve Allen’s nohitter, is University’s scheduled starting pitcher for the final.
Timber Creek played with a chip on its shoulder throughout much of the 2017 baseball season.
The Wolves will carry that weight into the Class 9A state championship game after rallying past Jupiter for a 4-2 semifinal win on Friday night at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.
Timber Creek (24-7), playing in the state final four for the second time in three years and fourth time since 2010, advances to a baseball final for the first time.
University defeated the Wolves 4-1 in a 2015 state semifinal before losing the championship game against Miami Columbus.
“It’s a humbling opportunity for us to get back,” senior Cameron Meehan said earlier in the week about returning to the state tournament. “At the beginning of the season we were doubted by a lot of people, coaches, players and rankings. We were never really expected to do a lot, but I always saw this season as a big opportunity coming in.”
Junior pitcher Bret Neilan, who was hospitalized due to dehydration and an abscess tonsil earlier in the week, finished the season 15-0 after striking out four, giving up four hits and allowing one earned run on 109 pitches in 62⁄3 innings.
“For him to go out there the way he did against a great team, probably the best team we’ve faced all year . ... It was a real gutty performance,” Timber Creek coach Tim Beaman said. “The guy just refuses to lose.”
Neilan settled down after an eventful first inning that saw the Wolves fall into a 1-0 hole. He recovered to hold Jupiter hitless until leadoff hitter Anthony Servideo tripled to right field in the sixth.
The Warriors (22-7) would get to within 3-2 when Mason Doolittle drove home Servideo on a hard shot to third base.
Preston Schumacher, slated to start today’s final, relieved Neilan for the final out. He stranded a runner on third on a grounder back to the mound.
Timber Creek was held without a hit through three innings before Arnie Ruiz led off the fourth with a single and Meehan followed with a bunt down the first base line. Both scored on a throwing error to give the Wolves a 2-1 lead.
Meehan extended the lead by a run in the fifth when he drove in Parker Smith, who reached by on a double to centerfield.
The Timber Creek vs. University final assures a large-class champion from the coverage area for the first time since Port Orange Spruce Creek and Lake Brantley captured the 8A title in consecutive years, 2012 and 2013, respectively.
The game marks the third time since the FHSAA baseball state finals began in 1922 that two area teams will square off for a championship.
In 1996, Dr. Phillips edged Lyman 4-3 for the title in 6A, which was then the large-school classification. A year later, Lake Brantley took the 6A crown with a 14-6 win vs. Apopka 14-6.
Bailey Wendel threw a complete-game shutout for Hagerty to help the Huskies advance to the Class 8A state championship game for the second straight year.
The Huskies, runners-up in Class 8A a year ago, jumped out to an early lead in their semifinal against Sarasota and never let up in a 7-0 win.
Hagerty (23-8) advances to face Tallahassee Lincoln (25-6) in today’s final set for 4:05 p.m. The Trojans defeated Davie Nova in the earlier semifinal 4-1.
“Bailey has great stuff and he’s pitched in a lot of big games in his career,” Hagerty coach Matt Cleveland said. “I just told him last week that I’m not worried, that we’ll give him the ball and to go do his job, and that’s exactly what he did.”
Wendel held Sarasota (22-9) to four hits and struck out five while pitching the Huskies out of trouble with runners in scoring position multiple times. The senior, who pitched four shutout innings in the semifinal round last season, stranded a runner on second base by striking out three in a row to end the fifth.
“It’s exhilarating; it feels good to get the ball,” Wendel said. “I wanted to do at least as good as I did last year, but really didn’t think about much else other than throwing strikes and getting a win for my team.”
The Huskies, who had seven players record hits, displayed great patience at the plate en route to building a 5-0 advantage through three innings.
Riley Greene fired up the Hagerty dugout when he ripped a shot down the first base line for a triple that scored two runs in the bottom of the first. Britt Crawford then drove in Greene to end the inning with a 3-0 lead.
Cameron Alba singled to left field in the bottom of the third to score Greene and Brian Ellis, who each reached base on walks.
The Huskies added two more in the fifth off the bats of Zak Grabbe and Steve Markowitz.
Today’s final will be the second in program history for both Hagerty and Lincoln. The Trojans were 5A runners-up in 2003.