North boys shock Island Coast to claim District baseball title
North Fort Myers pulled the biggest shocker in many seasons of Southwest Florida high school baseball Thursday.
The Red Knights (13-14) upset Island Coast 13-11 in the District 5A-11 championship game on the Gators’ field.
North, which had not beaten the Gators since 2016, picked a perfect time to pull it off.
With the win, the Red Knights earned a home game in the first round of the Region 5A-3 playoffs on Tuesday.
Island Coast (19-3), the defending Class 5A state champion, will have to take to the road in its bid to make it back to the FHSAA championships in Fort Myers.
The Gators led by margins of 7-3 and 8-5 before the Red Knights took command. Two fifth-inning runs brought North within 8-7.
What followed was a six-run outburst that gave North the lead for good.
Garry Kamphouse’s RBI single brought Thomas Eisminger for the tying run. Another single and a walk loaded the bases before Dominic Rendon walked to force in a run. Jakob Wagner singled in two more. Gianni Lorenzo had an RBI single, with Rendon coming home on the play as well.
The Gators staged a rally of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Mason Blackburn cracked an RBI single, and Davin Hickman doubled for two RBI. Island Coast’s rally was halted when an attempt to steal home failed.
Jake Mueller had a two-out double in the bottom of the seventh, but that was all the Gators would get.
Wagner led North with four RBI in all, homering and scoring two runs. Eisminger, who also hit a home run, Matthew Blasena and Lorenzo had two RBI each. Lorenzo and Kamphouse both had three hits.
For Island Coast, Mueller and Emilio Gonzalez had three hits and two RBI each, with Gonzalez scoring three times. Blackburn, Jordi Guerrero and David Hickman also had two RBI.
While district runners-up no longer receive an automatic playoff spot, Island Coast has little reason to doubt it will get the chance to defend its title.
The Gators came into this week’s tournament ranked seventh in the state in Class 5A. Only No. 1 Tampa Jesuit was ahead of Island Coast in Region 5A-3.
BASEBALL
DISTRICT 5A-11
Thursday’s championship
North Fort Myers 13, Island Coast 11
SOFTBALL
DISTRICT 5A-11
Thursday’s championship
North Fort Myers 11, Fort Myers 1 (5 innings): Mia Lane (3-for-3) homered and drove in three runs as the Red Knights (23-2) captured the district title. Audrie Florenzano had two RBI, Azlynn Gomes had two hits and scored twice, and Amanda Hynes scored two runs. Kendall Wylie held Fort Myers to a run on two hits. North will be home on Thursday to open the Class 5A playoffs.
TRACK AND FIELD
Ida Baker’s Kaiden Crossdale and Declan Ziomek of Cape Coral qualified for the state Class 3A meet on May 19 with second-place performances in the Region 3A-3 competition at Charlotte High School.
Crossdale was the runner-up in the high jump, while Ziomek crossed the line second in the 3200 meters.
Only the top two in each event automatically get into the state meet in Jacksonville. The rest of the qualifiers will be given at-large spots once the results of all four regions are compiled.
Those at-large berths may be announced Friday.
REGION 3A-3
At Charlotte High School
GIRLS
Teams (24): 1. Naples 94.50. 2. Hillsborough 87. 3. Fort Myers 82. 4. Seminole Osceola 67.5. 5. Barron Collier 65.50. Also: 11. North Fort Myers 22.50, Island Coast 6,
Events
Top two advance to state
At-large qualifiers TBA
Javelin: 3. Avery Brincat (IC) 32.41m.
BOYS
Teams (34): 1. Tampa Jesuit 62, 2. Fort Myers 60, 3. Dunbar 59, 4. Naples 57, 5. Charlotte 55.50. Also: 11. Cape Coral 23, 16. Ida Baker 14, 17. North Fort Myers 13, Island Coast 10.
Events
Top two advance to state
At-large qualifiers TBA
High jump: 2. Kaiden Crossdale (IB) 1.92m. 3200 relay: 3. Cape Coral (Jake Jacoby, Declan Ziomek, William Canales, Nazayer Franco, Ryan Mitchinson, Ethan Lukow) 8:10.16. Javelin: 3. Ofil Ramos (IC) 49.39m. 3200: 2. Declan Ziomek (CC) 9:39.73. 3. William Canales (CC) 9:47.77.