Madden Mann stayed hot at the plate Friday night, going 3 for 4 with two RBIs to help Columbia’s baseball team top Forest 7-2 for its sixth win in a row.
The performance raised Mann’s average to .425.
Nolan Slaymaker also drove in a pair of runs on a 2-for-4 night in Friday’s win for the Tigers, who registered 12 hits to provide plenty of run support for starting pitcher Tison McCray. The senior right-hander pitched five strong innings, allowing only two hits and an unearned run while finishing with seven strikeouts to beat the Wildcats for a second time this season.
Last week’s wins pulled Columbia closer to Gulf Breeze for fourth in the latest FHSAA Region 1-5A rankings. The Tigers have a 14.126 rating — seventh highest in Class 5A — while Gulf Breeze is at 14.739 behind Chiles (20.981), Mosley (18.962) and Niceville (15.829).
Columbia is ahead of Beachside (10.862), Lincoln (10.713) and Ponte Vedra (10.315).
Suwannee gets right
After dropping three straight games, Suwannee’s baseball team finished last week strong with a pair of wins. The Bulldogs (7-8) held off a late rally by Newberry on Thursday for a 7-6 victory before run-ruling Florida High 13-2 on Friday.
Suwannee jumped out to a 7-2 lead on Newberry thanks to two RBIs apiece from Gabe Garcia and Kyler Watson, while Grayson Greene pitched five strong innings where he struck out 11 and only allowed an earned run. Newberry managed to score five runs off reliever Easton O’Quinn, including four in the seventh, before O’Quinn managed to shut the door.
Watson stayed hot at the plate Friday, hitting a home run and driving in three runs as the Bulldogs built their 13-2 lead through three innings. Hampton Newman also had three RBIs and Noah Lopez had two, while Watson pitched four innings with five strikeouts for the win.
Those two victories kept Suwannee ranked fourth in Region 1-3A with a 12.614 rating ahead of Baldwin (9.960). South Walton (25.584), Fernandina Beach (19.043) and West Florida (14.295) hold down the top three spots.
Thrilling win for Lady Bucs
Following its second run-rule loss to defending state champion Trenton this season, Branford’s softball team bounced back with a dramatic win Friday night.
The Buccaneers (8-3) rallied from a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 victory over Eustis, scoring three runs in the bottom of the seventh when Mallory Blue hit a two-RBI double with two outs before scoring on a walk-off error where she escaped a rundown between third base and home. It capped a 2-for-4 night for Blue, who leads BHS with a .455 batting average.
Florida State commit Harleigh Price pitched a complete game for the victory, finishing with seen strikeouts. She has a 0.80 ERA on the year.
Suwannee races at Godby
Suwannee’s track and field teams were in action at the Tariq Barfield Invitational on Friday at Godby High School.
The girls finished eighth out of 17 teams, led by a pair of fourth-place finishes by Olivia Hermanson in the 1600m (5:37.26) and 3200m (12:21.18), and another fourth-place finish by Tameriya Smith in the shot put (8.97m). Aubrey Johnson also scored twice by placing fifth in the 1600 (5:51.32) and seventh in the 3200 (13:04.22), while Sabbag Oudraogo and Naveah Carter each finished seventh in the 400m (1:05.78) and shot put (8.1m), respectively.
The Suwannee boys only finished 15th out of 18 teams but they still posted some highlights, notably a runner-up finish in the 4x800 relay. The quartet Josiah Daniels, Kale Skinner, Brant Johnson and Logan Haley finished with a time of 4:51.87.
Haley also scored points individual by placing fifth in the 3200 (10:03.93), while Daniel Stolzfoos added an eighth-place finish in the 1600 (4:51.87).