GREEN COVE SPRINGS - Oakleaf High's baseball team had the most dramatic season runs blast at the right time with a six run second inning and a four run sixth inning to win their region 1-6A quarterfinal over Bartram Trail with a kind-of stunning 12-2 win Thursday night at Bartram Trail.

"We put together a tough strength of schedule and, quite honestly, I don't think we've swung the sticks like we did tonight," said Oakleaf first year coach Jonathan Shiver, who replaced departed coach Matt Carter who is now at St. Johns Country Day School. "I don't know where it came from, but tonight was the best night to have it."

Shiver's schedule included a 8-6 loss to Baldwin, a 7-6 win over Ponte Vedra, a 6-5 win over Fleming Island, a 6-5 loss to Sandalwood and a 5-4 loss to St. Johns Country Day School with a 4-3 district quarterfinal loss to Ocala Forest not keeping the Knights out of the region playoff picture.

"We keep preaching to take the loss and learn from it," Shivers said. "If you get down, you keep losing. We have grown stronger with each tough game with tonight the product of hard work and perseverance."

Shiver's remarks were amidst an explosive 10-hit display of batting prowess featuring triples by Jeter Farina and Elijah Brown and doubles from Connor Tant and Luis Mendoza that produced the Knights' run barrage. Oakleaf finished off the game with a nifty double play ground ball from Farina at shortstop to second baseman Henry Mills as well.

"Guys just doing their jobs," Shiver said. "When the team is confident, plays like that happen against good teams."

Farina was the key to scoring runs with three walks around his RBI triple in the fourth inning that broke open a Knights' lead of 6-1 that came by way of Brown's three run triple in the second after Tant ripped an RBI double.

Shiver, who was an assistant last year before taking over, noted that the dugout energy for his Knights, plus a strong freshman outing from Jeremiah Renaldo on the mound, all contributed to the big playoff win. Shiver still has junior Gabe Moyer with a 1.27 earned runs average to face off against Buchholz in the region semifinal.

"We are playing a lot of young kids, a bunch of sophomores, and it just all came together tonight," said Shivers, who now ventures to play No. 2 seed Buchholz (20-7), ironically with their own 12-2 win over seventh-ranked Mandarin, in a best two of three series in Gainesville on May 1-2.

Oakleaf, seeded third with a 13-14 season record, matched up with third seed Bartram Trail (16-11), but did not let the season records affect their energy.

"We got in even though we lost in the district final because we played a tough schedule."

Oakleaf was ranked 29th with a 12.7 strength of schedule while the rest of the region lineup includes top seed Pace (24-4) with a tough 3-2 win over Lake Howell and fourth-seed Tate losing to fifth seed Tocoi Creek (15-13) 2-1.
For Farina, the destiny of his Knights is a compilation of tough play against tough teams all season.

"My opinion is God put us here for a reason," Farina said. "We have all made errors, but, as the season has progressed, we have learned to be resilient."

At Clay High, the Blue Devils had a hard-hitting first inning with senior Rylan McMahan ripping an RBI single after a walk to Peyton McRae and a JC Rosette double set up McMahan's blast to a 2-0 lead. One more run came of a Clayton Hickey single into right field.

"We wanted to come out hot because they are the kind of team that will try to get in your head if they get a lead," said Clay coach Josh Persinger, who returns to host a best of three series with Pensacola Escambia on May 1-2 in the region semifinal. "The boys responded from a solid win streak to end the season after a tough middle season against a bunch of tough teams. I always say if we get in, we're a tough team to beat in the playoffs."

Escambia lost the two-game series with Clay last year 2-1 and 6-2 with Clay eventually losing in the region final to Arnold in the region final best of three series: 2-0 and 7-6 in nine innings.

The 4-0 win over Wakulla capped off a six-game win streak to end their season, as per Persinger's reference, after a tough mid-season skid with losses to Tampa Jesuit, St. Johns Country Day School and Trinity Christian Academy.

"The 1-0 loss to St. Augustine was a sloppy loss that we should have won after having solid games against St. Johns," said Persinger; 3-2 and 6-3 losses to St. Johns with early leads being relinquished in late innings. "We had to get back to fundamentals knowing the districts were coming."

On the mound, McMahan finished with another stellar output with 10 strikeouts and no hits and no runs with reliever Ethan Mathis finishing off Wakulla with two strikeouts and not hits as well.

Escambia, 16-12, with Clay at 15-13, advanced with a 3-1 win over second seed Bishop Kenny in their region opener. In the opposite semifinal, top seed Choctawhatchee will host fifth seed St. Augustine. Choctawhatchee (23-5) beat Baker County, 9-0, after Baker County lost in the district 3-4A final 6-0 to Clay.

St. Augustine (15-13), fifth seeded, beat fourth seeded Arnold High, 10-6.
At St. Johns Country Day School, a five-homer explosion fueled a 15-0 win for the Spartans over Rocky Bayou Christian. Hunter Rodgers had two of the homers with Brayden Harris, Gavin Coffey and Mason Jones also homering.

Harris was on the mound with 12 strikes outs. St. Johns (20-8) advances to the region 1-1A best of three semifinal with University Christian (13-16) visiting May 1-2; games at 7 p.m. Friday and 1 p.m. on Saturday. University Christian advanced with a 6-2 win over North Florida Christian.

In the opposite end of the bracket, Covenant School of Jacksonville beat second seed St. Joseph Academy 10-5.