Early miscues cost Wharton in state semi loss to Buccholz

Early miscues cost Wharton in state semi loss to Buccholz

Wharton junior SS Jeremiah Brown hugs senior 1B Alex Johnstone after the Wildcats fell 3-0 to Gainesville Buccholz in the FHSAA Class 6A state semifinal game.

Story by Chuck Frye, Senior Staff Writer
Photos by Jarrett Guthrie, Editor

FORT MYERS – It’s hard to chase runs in any ball game, never mind the state final four.
In its first-ever appearance trip to the FHSAA state semifinals at Lee Health Sports Complex, Wharton learned that adage the hard way. With a pair of errors setting up a three-run first inning, Buchholz refused to reciprocate, playing clean defense behind the clutch pitching from J.J. Gardner to earn a 3-0 victory and a return trip to Saturday’s Class 6A title game.

The Wildcats came out on fire from the jump when leadoff man Drew Cobb worked a walk followed by Justis Meadows’ first-pitch single to leftfield.

Wharton’s all-time career hit leader, and Hillsborough County 2025 leader Justis Meadows sends his 48th hit (a single) to leftfield in the first inning.

But the tide turned on a failed bunt attempt that saw catcher Kai So’s rocket throw pick off Cobb followed by two more quick outs to end the frame.

Wildcats leadoff batter Drew Cobb walked to start the game, but was picked off of second base

Buchholz (33-2) made the early squander hurt more with help from some big-stage jitters from Wharton. Cleanup batter Blake Brewer quickly seized on a fielding error, slashing a run-scoring double down the leftfield line. Infield indecision allowed Gardner (fielder’s choice) to come home, and a perfect safety squeeze bunt by Zac Brown plated Brewer, giving Buchholz all the runs needed to advance.

“Blake blistered that ball, he really turned on it,” said Buchholz head coach Ron Brooks. “That was a big hit, and the bunt by Zac, to have that third run on a safety squeeze was really big.”

Cohen Lafler (the speed-up runner for the Bobcats catcher) scores the game’s first run on a Blake Brewer double.

“I don’t think it was anything but us getting comfortable with the setting,” said Wildcats head coach Anthony Markle. “This was probably the biggest field we’ve played on all year.

First-year Wildcats head coach Anthony Markle is surrounded by his players in a dugout meeting after the first inning.

“We got together as a group (after the first inning) and said, OK, the jitters are out. I asked them to be who they were all season, the guys that lost Game 1 of the regional semifinals, who lost Game 1 of the region finals, and got us through.”

Wharton 1B Alex Johnstone fields a sac bunt and runs down the batter who delayed things enough for a run to score.

And Wharton (27-8) did just that.

Responding amazingly well to adversity, Wildcat starter Daniel Duno buckled down on the hill and shackled a potent Bobcat lineup. Striking out five straight batters at one point, the junior went the distance, allowing just two hits and three base runners after the first.

Wharton junior Daniel Duno took a tough loss, allowing three unearned runs, allowed just two hits and a walk, hit two batters and struck out eight.

“He threw three pitches for strikes and really battled,” said Brewer. “He fought us hard.”

“I just kept thinking that I wanted to play longer,” Duno said. “I wanted to stay on the field longer with them.”

Wildcats junior catcher Chase Anello wows the front-row crowd with a sliding foul ball catch in the second inning.

With Duno keeping Wharton in the hunt, the offense kept setting the stage for a comeback.

Chase Andress drove a one-out, opposite-field double to left followed by a free pass to Alex Johnstone in the second. Chase Anello looped a soft liner to center to start the fourth. Pinch hitter Braden Bodenstein started the fifth by being hit by a pitch with Drew Cobb adding a base hit.

Bobcats senior JJ Gardner held the Wildcats off the board for 4 1/3 innings, scattering four hits and two walks, while striking out seven.

But first starter J.J. Gardner and then reliever Wyatt Clarke thoroughly and completely shut the door each time with ample help from a clean defensive effort. Wharton couldn’t push a runner any further than second base due to the quality teamwork.

“Pitching and defense has been the story for us,” Brooks said. “J.J. (4 1/3 innings, 4 hits, 7 strikeouts) and Wyatt (2 2/3 innings, 2 hits, 3 Ks) did the job. (Wharton) can hit and we pitched them the best way we could to be successful. And we practice our defense a lot so when (the opponent) gets some traffic, we never get nervous.”

Senior reliever Wyatt Clarke finished off the win with 2 1/3 scoreless innings, giving up two hit and striking out three.

After two sub-.500 seasons and a change to Markle at head coach, Wharton’s final four finish showed the potential for building a successful program, both short and long-term.

“We knew we had the pieces we just had to get to know each other,” Markle concluded. “We have two coaches (me and assistant Matt Williams), and we looked everyone in the eye and said, ‘Do you want it?’.

Jairius Morris was 1-for-3 in the loss.

“We are blessed to be here (in Fort Myers), we’re thankful for the opportunity,” Markle said. “We knew it was going to be us facing the best of the best and it was a great game. We battled our hearts out all the way through and I couldn’t be more proud of them. This was bigger than baseball. We’ve made friends for life.”

⚾ 6A State Semifinal ⚾

Gainesville Buccholz 3
Wharton 0

W 000|000|0 – |0|0|0
B 000|000|0 – |0|0|0
W – Gardner (0-0); L – Duno (0-0); S – Clarke (0)
2B – Andress (W); Brewer (B). Records – W (27-8); B (33-2).

⚾