SoWal baseball advances to Final 4; Choctaw, Niceville eliminated

TL;DR

South Walton baseball team advances to the Final 4 after defeating Suwannee, while Choctaw and Niceville were eliminated from their respective championships. The Seahawks will represent the area in the state tournament at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.

Key points

South Walton baseball team advances to Final 4
Choctaw eliminated by Clay in Region 1-4A finals
Niceville eliminated by Lincoln in Region 1-5A championship
Justin Didier and Vaughn Howard had standout performances
Final 4 games will be held at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers

South WaltonChoctawNicevilleSuwannee

SoWal baseball advances to Final 4; Choctaw, Niceville eliminated

SANTA ROSA BEACH — Fresh off back-to-back trips to the state championship, the South Walton baseball team seemed destined for a third straight Final 4.

A Region 1-3A championship sweep of Suwannee to cap a 5-0 run through the bracket validates that, and now Nick Borthwick's crew will be the lone area team to make the trek to Hammond Stadium in Fort Meyers after Niceville was eliminated by Lincoln in Game 3 of the Region 1-5A championship and Choctaw was swept by Clay in the Region 1-4A finals.

South Walton junior Justin Didier walked it off with a two-run single to back Coleman Borthwick's complete-game gem in a 2-1 win in the opener, and Vaughn Howard's three-hit, five-RBI effort backed Denton Lord's shutout and fueled the Seahawks to a 10-0 run-ruled win in the nightcap.

State Champs: Niceville dominates field events, wins 5th state title in 6 years

State runner-up: Plasier, Tolbert win gold; Niceville girls finish 2nd at state T&F

For the third year in a row, South Walton (28-4) is just two wins away from that elusive state title. But defending state champ Miami Springs (19-11), the team that beat the Seahawks 2-1 in last year's title game, awaits in the state semifinals with first pitch coming 4 p.m. (EDT) Wednesday.

That sets up aces Borthwick and Lord for potential back-to-back starts, the best-of-3 format now dwindled to win-or-go-home games in the FInal 4.

In the region finals, neither Borthwick nor Lord allowed an earned run. Borthwick stuck out 13 and gave up just four hits over seven innings in the opener, his lone run given up unearned. He now has a 0.12 ERA, 9-0 record, 0.26 WHIP and 110 strikeouts over 60 2/3 innings.

In the nightcap, Lord struck out seven over four scoreless innings with just two hits and a pair of walks allowed. Parker Granse and Griffin Loy shut it down in relief as the bats awoken for 12 hits behind Didier's three base knocks and RBI, Borthwick's two hits and RBI, and Howard's 3-for-4 effort with five RBIs, two runs and two doubles. Lorda now has a 0.58 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 8-1 record and 82 strikeouts in 48 2/3 innings.

Q&A

How did South Walton baseball secure their spot in the Final 4?

South Walton baseball secured their spot in the Final 4 by sweeping Suwannee in the Region 1-3A championship, finishing with a 5-0 record in the bracket.

Which teams were eliminated from the baseball championships?

Choctaw was eliminated by Clay in the Region 1-4A finals, and Niceville was eliminated by Lincoln in Game 3 of the Region 1-5A championship.

What were the standout performances in the South Walton games?

Justin Didier had a walk-off two-run single in the first game, while Vaughn Howard contributed three hits and five RBIs in the second game, supporting a shutout by Denton Lord.

Where will the Final 4 baseball games take place?

The Final 4 baseball games will take place at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers.