St. Thomas Aquinas Eliminates Bloomingdale In 7A Semifinals

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From the very first pitch to the very last, the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders feasted.

With a chance to play for a state title on the line, the Raiders left no question of the outcome in opening an immediate lead and throttling to the finish line for a 15-0 win over the Bloomingdale Bulls, in Friday’s Class 7A state semifinal at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

“We looked in anticipation at this game today,” St. Thomas Aquinas Manager Joey Wardlow said. “We could feel adrenaline when we pulled in today. It was nice to get here a few hours early and enjoy the atmosphere and the environment, and be present in it. So when we stepped out there, our first inning went well on defense, it was pretty good on offense, and it took away some of the incoming jitters we had in being there.”

St. Thomas (28-6-1) now faces the Buchholz Bobcats for the chance to win its fourth state title, the last of which came in the 2018 season. Buchholz (33-2) advanced with a 3-0 shutout over the Wharton Wildcats in the other 6A semifinal.

While that matinee contest went right down to the wire, the Raiders made quick work of the Bulls to slug their way back to the title game. They opened a 5-0 lead in the first, and scored in every inning to keep adding on. Six runs in the bottom of the fourth reached the mercy-rule limit that ended the game, as catcher Joshua Jennings connected for an RBI single that plated Zachary Malvasio to walk off the victory.

Nico Sabatino found the same result to start the contest, as he lined a double to left field to begin the bottom of the first inning. Jonathan Lopez then smacked his first offering to left for an RBI single and an immediate Raiders lead.

Sabatino went 2-for-3 with two RBI and three runs, and also walked to reach base three times.

“That’s my job and I get the team going,” Sabatino said. “I saw a fastball away and I hit the double to fire my team up. It’s my job as the leadoff. I’m there to get the battery going, to keep the line moving. It was pretty surreal. This is probably the biggest game of my life, and the stadium is beautiful. It definitely took away the jitters and now our offense is ready to go. As you saw, we put up five in the first.”

They were only just getting started. An error allowed Malvasio to reach and keep the inning going, and Brady Buxbaum plated another run with an RBI single to center. Jennings reached on an error and was replaced by courtesy-runner C.J. Pangallo, and next Andrew Alvarez smacked an RBI double to right. Cole Lasher followed with an RBI single, and then initiated a double-steal play that allowed Lasher to swipe home and increase the lead.

“We talk about base runners and barrels,” Wardlow said. “If we get base runners, somebody is going to barrel a ball. If they stay in the middle of the field, they open it up.”

Sabatino connected for a solo home run in the third.

“I saw a fastball middle-in and I just turned on it,” Sabatino said. “It felt good, but I’m obviously not trying to do that. But I got into one. There’s nothing else to say; I got a pretty good swing on it.”

All day long the bats found that sweet spot, as the Raiders showcased their offensive dominance and tremendous power capacity. Alvarez and Malvasio both collected three hits on the day to lead the batters.

“Coach Wardlow says, put it on them early and never let it off,” Alvarez said. “We got five in the first, and you just have to keep pouring it on with that kind of energy. That is how we played. Everything flowed well, and our coaches just teach us to get the foot down early, swing on top, and we swung it good. We got good pitches and we didn’t miss them, and everybody just passed it on to the next guy. It’s a surreal feeling and that is what you work for, so it felt great. Baseball is a game of failure, so when it is working, it’s a good feeling.”

Now the Raiders look to carry that good feeling to a title celebration. Standing in their way is a Buchholz Bobcats team that has lost just twice all season, but will be tasked with stopping an offense that produced 14 hits, four walks, and 13 RBI of the 15 total runs scored.

With a shortened game due to the lopsided result, the Raiders’ pitching staff is also in tremendous position. Thomas Giltner tossed a complete-game shutout to earn the semifinal win, while keeping the entire rest of the pitching staff fresh and available for the most important game of the season.

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