OAKLEAF - Green Cove Springs Junior High School baseball took an undefeated regular season record into the Northeast Florida Athletic Conference championship game against Baker County, but finished just short in a 6-5 loss, while at Orange Park High School, the Lakeside Junior High softball team lost a 6-3 finals match also to Baker County.

The Cougars finish at 13-1 with the finals loss with a 9-3 win over Baker County in regular season play. Baker County struck first with five runs in the second inning and a solo run in the fourth to lead 5-3 as the fifth inning started. Green Cove Springs got two walks in the fifth with a sacrifice fly from Elijah Sevilla scoring a run and a grounder from Lincoln Haslett plating the second run.
A walk and a single off Green Cove pitcher Hudson Hirsch got Baker County to a 6-2 lead with Green Cove scraping up another run off a grounder to Zeke Brockhoss putting the score at 6-3.
Hirsch survived a base loaded fifth inning with a grounder to second baseman Tripp Pacetti as the Cougars looked to make their comeback in the fifth with a leadoff double from Sevilla and a single from Haslett getting one more run off a passed ball by Baker County.
Hirsch again survived a Baker County scoring opportunity with two singles being stranded with two strikeouts to end the inning.
Green Cove had their shot for the win with a single and walk putting two runners on base, with Sevilla scoring on a wild pitch, but Baker County pitcher Mason Hamilton striking out the final Cougar batter.
For the Lakeside Lady Gators, 11-3, who got to game with a 12-2 win over Green Cove Springs in their semifinal, gave up three runs in the first inning to start with a gap. Lakeside answered with two in top of the second off three singles; Sofia Fortunato, Layla Petty and Kate Collins with a walk to Kendal Way scoring one run and an error scoring the second.
Two walks off pitcher Paige Courson and two grounders put the score at 4-2 then two singles in the third added to that to 5-2 with defense on both sides kicking in until the fifth when Lakeside made a comeback stab off singles to Addison Elwood and Way to 5-3, but two flyballs ended the surge.
A double and single added one more for Baker County. Lakeside got two baserunners in place in the sixth, but a strikeout to Liliana Johnston stifled the comeback.