Jefferson wins thriller at Dunedin in 4A region final

Dragons junior Cameron Copple pitched six innings of relief, improving to 4-0 as Jefferson defeated Dunedin in 12 innings of Tuesday’s Class 4A Region 2 final. The Dragons return to Fort Myers and the state final four for the third time in six years.

Staff Report

Jefferson battled Dunedin deep into the night, finally breaking through with a huge, five-run 12th inning to earn its spot in this weekend’s Class 4A state semifinals with a 6-1 victory.

The Dragons pitching duo of Mikey Marroquin and Cameron Copple held the Falcons to a single run, as both teams combined for 23 hits (all singles, save for a double from Dunedin’s Tristan Rogers), before JaMarques Benton’s RBI single late in extra innings broke the tie game. Benton turned in an impressive night at the plate, going 4-for-5, scoring twice and stealing two bases.

Marroquin worked around six hits and four walks, providing six shutout innings for Jefferson (20-7) before reaching his pitch-count limit and departed with a one-run lead after six punchouts.

“Mikey was a bulldog all night,” Dragons coach Spencer Nunez said. “He had a three-pitch mix working and went right after guys.”

Mikey Marroquin gave his team six shutout innings from the mound against Dunedin, striking out six. 

The junior Marroquin, worked out of a bases loaded jam in the first with a strikeout and flyout, and held the Falcons off the board despite runners in scoring position in five-of-six innings. Though not involved in the final decision, Marroquin continued his impressive season on the mound and finishes the year 5-3 on the mound carrying the bulk of the Dragons innings (64 2/3) with a 2.06 ERA and 77 strikeouts.

“This moment is one the Mikey and I have talked about a lot,” Nunez said. “So, for him to go out there and do what he did is impressive. (I’m) very proud of him.”

Pride in equal measure was doled out for Copple, who did give up a game-tying run to Dunedin in the seventh before the junior worked six total innings, striking out seven and earning his fourth win of the season.

“Copple knew he was going to be big tonight on the mound,” Nunez said. “He knew he’d be the first out of the pen and he was prepared for it. The way he worked through Dunedin’s lineup was great to see.”

The heavy workload and the quick turnaround means both juniors will be unable to pitch in Fort Myers, where Jefferson will square off against Jacksonville Bishop Kenny (18-10) at 4pm on Friday from Hammond Stadium in the Class 4A state semifinal.

Senior Alejandro Aguilar gave the Dragons … well, an “early” lead with his sixth-inning RBI single, and he added an RBI hit in the five-run 12th to push the game out of reach. Jayden Vazquez drove in a pair in the win, and Copple helped his own cause going 2-for-6 with an RBI.

Dunedin (20-8) pushed the game to extra innings as Sammy Mummua opened the seventh with a single and eventually scored on a hit from senior Jacob Riegel (2-for-6). Rogers was 3-for-5 with a double for the Falcons, while ace Tyler Beard was incredible for seven innings, striking out 10 and giving up just three hits.

Jefferson returns to the final four for the second time in three seasons after Nunez took the Dragons to the state semis in his first year at the helm. Prior to that, Jefferson claimed the school’s first baseball state crown in 2018 winning the Class 6A title.

⚾ Class 4A-Region 3 Final ⚾

Jefferson 6, Dunedin 1 (12)

J 000|001|000|005 – |6|12|0
D 000|000|100|000 – |1|11|0
W – Copple (0-0); L – Riegel (0-0)
2B – Rogers (D). Records – J (20-7); D (20-8).

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