FT MYERS - In probably the most unusual finish of a state championship baseball game, St. Johns Country Day School was able to overcome a 3-3 seventh-inning tie with a chronology of opportunistic plays to steal away a 4-3 Class 2A championship over five-time champion Miami Christian Academy in Ft. Myers on May 22.

St. Johns Country Day School senior Kody Denault, who said his Spartans were going to win the fateful title game, watched in disbelief as the title came the way it did.
"I was in shock when it happened and kind of froze in the dugout," said Denault. "Then we ran out and chased down Gibby (Gabriel Gilliland)."
The title was the first-ever state baseball title for St. Johns Country Day and Clay County.
"None of the final play was scripted," said St. Johns coach Tom Lucas, who jokingly said his hero batter of the previous two games; Jack Gilson, who hit two walk-offs; a two-run homer in the region final and a two-run double in the state semifinal, was primed to go three for three, but reached first on a, irony here, dropped third strike in the scoreless seventh inning. "When he came up in position to win the game with a homer, the coaches kept saying 'Really, he surely can't do this three times?"
Gilson said he didn't think about it during the game or even on the way to Ft. Myers, but when the situation presented itself, there was some thought.
"I never thought the situation would come up again and when it did, I thought, 'Oh My'," said Gilson. "There was a moment."
Lucas admitted that the three games that ended with crazy finishes were quite the experience for his coaching career.
"It was pretty stressful," said Lucas. "I'd rather have the Clay game that we won with 17 runs and when we left the hotel for the final, I said to my wife 'I'd like to have just one to be easy.'"
After the seventh, Lucas inwardly accepted his fate.
"When they tied us in the seventh, I said to myself, there goes my easy win," said Lucas. "But, but, there still was no panic in the dugout which I thought was our MO (Modus Operandi) for the season."
Unfortunately, Miami Christian kept St. Johns from winning and forced the fateful eighth inning.
"I thought they were the toughest team we've ever played and we knew they were not going away either," said Lucas. "Our dugout was kind of saying they don't know about St. Johns in the final innings and that kept them battling away."
In the eighth, TJ. Sunderhaus singled and Hunter Rodgers bunted Sunderhaus to third.
Sunderhaus got snared attempting to steal home after Connor O'Steen was placed on first to run for Rodgers, the St. Johns catcher, then stole second.
"A passed ball put me at third," said O'Steen. "I've been here 13 years and my job always has been to do whatever the team asks me to. I knew from the first day of school that I was going to be needed one day and I knew my role."
Miami walked Preston Cole on base to set up a possible two-base situation as Gabriel Gilliand entered the bat box.
"Gibby had a two-ball, two-strike situation, but kept swinging," said O'Steen. "We couldn't run the steal if he kept swinging and the coaches were yelling for him to stop swinging."
Lucas confirmed O'Steen's read on the situation.
"We were screaming at Gilliand to look for a ball up in the zone," said Lucas. "They kept throwing split fingers; sliders, down and away. The good thing for us is that when the pitcher throws it, it's hard to catch it and Miami Christian had a backup catcher in the game."
Leading up to the scintillating final inning, the Spartans, at first, were in control of the game with a quick 3-0 lead after three innings, a 3-1 lead with Miami getting their first in the ensuing fourth inning with two singles and a walk.
From there, both teams landed baserunners but with no runs until the seventh.
On defense, St. Johns got a spectacular stab and throw on a wicked line drive to third baseman Seth Alford who turned the play into an inning-ending double play as Miami Christian's baserunner on first did not expect Alford's play.
"That was probably the play of the game; one foot to his right and it goes to the corner with a double," said Lucas. "That was a hard hit and would have moved that first base runner at least to third if not to home plate. In games like this, you got to get a little lucky. Boylston (centerfield) and Bowden (right field) both had big plays as well that stopped scoring efforts."
In the eighth, with O'Steen poised to sprint home and Gilliland still swinging away at possible third strikes, the fateful missed swing occurred that put the ball in the dirt.
"He could have walked twice if he stopped swinging," said O'Steen, who was on his way for each swing, but forced to return to third. "My eyes were wide open when he missed and I saw the ball in the dirt. When I landed, seated, I thought the team was going to dog-pile me. They were chasing Gibby, but it biggest day of baseball in my life."
For Gilliland, not listening to the coaches from the dugout was more of just trying to win the game with a hit.
"They were telling me to stop swinging and I just kept swinging," said Gilliland, with a coy smile. "Maybe, I wanted to pull off a Gilson, but when I swung and saw the ball jump out of the catcher's mitt, I just ran and hoped I wouldn't get yelled at in the dugout."
Yelled at somewhat, but in jubilation as his team passed over O'Steen to find "Gibby."
"Who would have thought striking out would be the biggest play of my baseball career?" said Gilliland.