Baseball: Saturday’s 6A state final preview

Baseball state finals

All games at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers. Admission is $9 in advance, $12 on the day of the event. Parking is $10 for cars, $50 for buses.

Bloomingdale (23-6) vs. Fleming Island (25-5), 7

How they got here: Bloomingdale d. St. Petersburg 3-2, d. Gaither 7-4, d. Mitchell 2-1, d. Naples Gulf Coast 4-3. Dwyer d. Stuart Martin County 6-0, d. Cooper City 4-0, d. Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas, d. Doral Academy 2-0. 

Outlook: The Bulls, ranked No. 9 in 6A, are in the state final for the first time since 2014. They have won six straight, including four games that were each decided by a run. The latest came in a 3-2 victory over Palm Beach Dwyer in Friday’s state semifinals. Marlon Bowen, Gabe Garrett and Colby Shelton each had two hits and Jack Owens lasted six innings on the mound, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out 10. Those close calls should have Bloomingdale ready for anything it might face in the state tournament. The Golden Eagles, ranked No. 3 in 6A, have won six straight, including three games each decided by a run. 

Team leaders

CategoryBloomingdaleFleming Island
Batting averageColby Shelton .408Drew Homitz .392
RBIsMarlon Bowen, Colby Shelton 23Drew Homitz, Aiden Mastantuno 22
Home runsColby Shelton 5Aiden Mastantuno 2
ERAJack Owens 1.04Cody Carwile 0.77
StrikeoutsJack Owens 89Cody Carwile 121