Bolles Defeats Episcopal To Win 3A-3 Championship

The 2024 District 3A-3 champion Bolles Bulldogs. *Photo From @BollesHighSchool.

A five-run third inning paved the way to victory, as the Bolles Bulldogs won the District 3A-3 championship with an 8-2 decision over the Episcopal Eagles on Thursday night. It is the first district title for the Bulldogs (20-7) since the 2021 season, a year that the team last made a run to the state Final Four.

Now Bolles has earned the chance to make another run in pursuit of the program’s ninth state title. The Bulldogs will host Episcopal (19-8) once again, in a regional quarterfinal on Wednesday night. They will be tasked with the challenge of beating the same team three times in the same season, after also earning a 5-1 win over the Eagles earlier this year.

The Bulldogs certainly have plenty of key moments to build off of, especially how the offense has been clicking. In Thursday’s title game, nearly every starter reached base to do their part in the win. They went to work quickly, scoring a run in the bottom of the first after Jackson Geist singled, stole second and then moved the final two stations off consecutive ground outs from Aidan Lynch and Spencer Stephens.

The 2024 Episcopal Eagles, who also earned a berth into the regional playoffs to again face the Bulldogs on Wednesday night. *Photo from @EpiscopalSchoolOfJacksonville.

The third inning was the turning point in the contest. After the Eagles evened things up on an RBI single from Jude McDonald that plated Jack Ottesen in the top of the frame, Bolles answered back to take control with a five-run outburst.

In the blink of an eye, two runners were into scoring position, as Rylan Baker singled, Geist walked and then Lynch advanced them with a sacrifice bunt. Stephens then stroked an RBI single to center that put them back in front, and Gabe Gonzalez followed with a double to left that drove in Geist. Ford McCarthy was next, and he came through with a big swing to drive a double to center that scored two. Ford also scored later in the inning, off a wild pitch.

Two more runs in the fourth helped cement the victory. Levi Pietschker walked and Geist continued his big game with a single to center. After a wild pitch advanced the runners, another wild pitch brought Pietschker in, and Lynch delivered a sac-fly RBI that drove Geist in for his third run of the game.

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