JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It’s the second round of the high school baseball state playoffs, with games on Friday and Saturday night. All games at 7 p.m. unless indicated. A glance at the matchups.
Friday’s games
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Region 1-7A
Apopka (20-8) at Bartram Trail (20-8)
Road here: Apopka d. West Orange, 7-3; Bartram d. Oviedo, 3-2.
Winner gets: Lake Brantley or Hagerty in the regional final on Tuesday.
Region glance: The Bears got the walk-off winner from Kolt Myers in the playoff opener in a tougher-than-expected challenge from Oviedo. Bartram is one of the most prospect-laden teams around and played a difficult schedule to prepare it for this time of the year. A win here would put Bartram in the third round of the postseason for just the second time. The Bears reached the state title game in 2015. Brody DeLamielleure (.414, 3 HR, 23 RBI) and Justin Nadeau (.361, 5 HR, 18 RBI) lead the Bears at the plate.
Region 1-6A
First Coast (16-8) at Pace (23-3), 8 p.m.
Road here: First Coast d. Tate, 3-1; Pace d. Forest, 10-5.
Winner gets: Spruce Creek or University in the regional final on Tuesday. First Coast would travel to face University but would host Spruce Creek.
Region glance: How about the Buccaneers in the second round of the playoffs? First Coast’s last playoff win before this week came in 1999 against Nease. The Buccaneers hadn’t even been to the playoffs since then. Now, they’re a win away from the regional finals, which would be their deepest playoff run ever. Coach Stephen Barnes’ team has won five in a row and are led by stellar sophomore Hunter Carns (.523, 4 HR). It’s a long road trip to the Panhandle, but First Coast is up to the challenge.
Regional final
Region 3-1A
Fort White (15-6) at Lafayette (17-3)
Road here: Fort White d. Union County, 4-2; Lafayette d. Madison County, 4-2.
Winner gets: Chiefland or Dixie County in the state semifinals on Wednesday.
Region glance: The Indians faced the Hornets in the second game of the season and lost 4-2. Can they turn things around this time and reach the third round of the state playoffs for the first time? Tucker Hardee (.426, 15 RBI) and Lecosta Byrd (.417) lead the Indians at the plate.
Saturday’s games
Region 1-4A
Clay (18-10) at Suwannee (22-4)
Road here: Suwannee d. Baker County, 11-5; Clay d. Santa Fe, 12-9 in 10 innings.
Winner gets: Bishop Kenny or Arnold in the regional finals on Tuesday. Suwannee would host either. Clay would travel to face either.
Arnold (22-6) at Bishop Kenny (20-6), 4 p.m.
Road here: Arnold d. Wakulla, 6-3; BK d. South Walton, 7-6.
Winner gets: Suwannee or Clay in the regional finals on Tuesday. BK would host Clay but travel to Suwannee.
Region glance: The Crusaders pulled off a phenomenal rally in their opener, scoring six runs over the final two innings to stun South Walton. Kenny is on a tear, with 11 straight victories. Andrew Tabor (.413) and Jack Newman (.360, 22 RBI) lead Kenny at the plate. Newman had two big RBI in the playoff opener. A win would set up an all-local regional final next week. ... The Blue Devils won a seesaw, extra-inning opener against Santa Fe, pushing five runs across in the top of the 10th in a wild one. Max Williams had two hits and his sixth homer of the season in that game and leads the team in batting .391. The Bulldogs are on a tear. They clobbered Baker County in the opener to push their winning streak to 13 games. Matthew Gill (.447), Peyton Waters (.403) and Joshua Fernald (.348) have combined to hit 10 of the team’s 17 homers.
Region 1-3A
Fernandina Beach (15-9) at Trinity Catholic (19-8)
Road here: Fernandina d. Bishop Snyder, 11-5; Trinity d. Pensacola Catholic, 8-0.
Winner gets: Villages Charter or Providence in the regional finals on Tuesday. Fernandina would travel to face either.
Providence (15-12) at Villages Charter (18-7)
Road here: Providence d. Episcopal, 9-5; Villages d. Florida High, 3-1.
Winner gets: Fernandina or Trinity Catholic in the regional finals on Tuesday. Providence would host Fernandina but travel to Trinity Catholic.
Region glance: The Pirates pulled off a No. 8 seed over a 1 in the first round in an easy win over Snyder. Jackson Denton (.423), Ernest Dye (.361) and Sean Benjamin (.361) lead the Pirates at the plate. A win by Fernandina would put the Pirates in the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 2006. ... Providence’s record is the result of a challenging regular season schedule and it paid off in the playoff opener and a tough win over the Eagles. Andrew Johnson (.366), Robert Masci (.344) and Ben Barrow (.333) lead Providence at the plate. The Stallions last reached the third round in 2016, but would get there with a win here.
Region 1-2A
Trinity Christian (20-8) at St. Johns CD (22-4)
Road here: Trinity d. St. Joseph, 10-1; St. Johns CD d. St. John Paul II, 13-0.
Winner gets: North Florida Christian or University Christian in the regional finals on Tuesday. Trinity would travel to face either. St. Johns would host either.
University Christian (22-6) at North Florida Christian (19-5), 3:30 p.m.
Road here: UC d. Wakulla Christian, 5-4; NFC d. Oak Hall, 12-2.
Winner gets: Trinity or St. Johns CD in the regional finals on Tuesday. UC would host Trinity but travel to St. Johns CD.
Region glance: This region is St. Johns Country Day’s to lose. The Spartans are one of the country’s best teams and remain dialed in to playing for a state championship. They crushed St. John Paul II in the opener and didn’t even need to use ace Bradley Hodges to do it. St. Johns is loaded, with Hodges (.506, 9 HR, 30 RBI) leading a lineup that features five regulars hitting .406 or better. They’ve beaten Trinity twice this season (4-1 and then 11-1 for the district title), but the Conquerors are a tough out, with Colton Avera (.377, 6 HR, 32 RBI) and Eric Fouraker Jr. (.372, 19 RBI). … UC got a test in its opener and handled it well. Brady Wright (.432), Noah Clark (.378) and Gabriel Cantona (.377) lead UC against NFC, a perennial rival on the football field. These teams have met in the playoffs just four times dating back to 1976, with NFC holding a 3-1 series edge.