BACK IN THE FINAL 4: Spruce Creek crushes Winter Park 9-1 for regional baseball title

WINTER PARK — Victorious in 16 of its last 18 games, the runaway freight train that is Spruce Creek's baseball team will zoom right along to Fort Myers for a return trip to the Florida High School Athletic Association's Class 7A state semifinals.

North Florida commit Nick Lorenz pitched a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts, and the Hawks erupted for three runs in the opening inning to chase Winter Park starter Jacob Sands on their way to a 9-1 road victory in Tuesday's Region 1-7A championship game.

With the win, Spruce Creek (20-10) books a 2021 championship rematch with Stoneman Douglas at 7 p.m. on May 23 at Hammond Stadium, the spring training home of the Minnesota Twins. Douglas, which demolished Miami Columbus 10-1 earlier Tuesday, sports a perfect 27-0 record and has won 85 of its last 89 games overall.

Park Vista and Plant will battle in the first 7A semifinal at 4 that afternoon.

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"It was really hard to get off to a bad start because these guys have just worked so hard from the first day (of fall ball) in September," said Hawks coach Matt Cleveland, referring to the team's 0-5 record out of the gate, and 4-8 mark as recently as March 22. "They bought in and have never lost faith in each other. We talk about how tough that start was, with these kids knowing about all the work, and knowing that they are good enough. We said to keep working, and that it would turn around.

"We had some tough times, there's no doubt. But tough times don't last. These guys are tough kids, and they have given me everything they've got."

As it did Saturday night in a similar rout of Lake Brantley, Spruce Creek's sophomores in the heart of the order mounted a two-out rally to establish an immediate lead. Tyler Boyesen split the gap in right center a double, Julian Braga walked and Lucas Badalato cracked a run-scoring single past third.

Gavin Williams, one of Creek's eight seniors, delivered another clutch piece of hitting with a two-run single up the middle to pad the lead to 3-0, and force the first of Winter Park's six pitching changes.

"(The count) was 3-1, and I knew I was going to get a fastball. I sat back, thinking of over the second baseman's head," Williams said. "I got the pitch and just drove it back up the middle.

"With Coach Cleveland, we work hard on the machines every day, play hard scrimmages to get game-like reps. I think that's what it is, just the moment of being up there with runners on base. He's taught us well how to hit with two strikes, hunt fastballs and put the barrel on them."

That proved to be more than enough run support for Lorenz, who retired nine in a row to open the evening and struck out four batters during his first time through the Wildcats' lineup. Izaiah Jean-Baptiste delivered a jolt for the hosts to lead off the bottom half of the fourth, squaring up a triple to the wall in right.

Lorenz locked in against Winter Park's 2-3-4 hitters, inducing a harmless infield popout and responding with back-to-back strikeouts to strand Jean-Baptiste at third.

"Second time through the lineup, I figured something was going to happen," Lorenz said. "I told myself that I was going to take the next three guys myself, and I did.

"It was a good mentality, knowing that anything could happen at any time. And I came at these guys with everything I've got."

The Hawks piled on in the vistors' half of the fifth, loading the bases with nobody out and breaking the game wide open with two-run hits by Boyesen and Williams. Lucas Tutunjian, who doubled home a run in the fourth, capped the scoring by drawing a walk.

Spruce Creek plated 27 runs in its three regional playoff victories — nine in each outing — and allowed just four. Jackson Thomas busted up Lorenz's shutout bid with two down in the seventh, launching a solo homer to left.

It will need to maintain that level of excellence to dethrone the two-time defending champion Eagles. Stoneman Douglas has socked 35 home runs as a team, and its pitchers have tallied 252 strikeouts with a 0.84 ERA across 167 innings.

"I don't care who we play. I care how we play," Cleveland reiterated. "You can't focus too much on the other team. We'll prepare. But if we play good baseball, we'll give ourselves a chance."

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: FHSAA baseball: Spruce Creek crushes Winter Park to win region final