One of the toughest games the Buchholz baseball team won in it’s perfect 20-0 start was an eight-inning, 5-3 win at Colquitt County (Georgia) on March 1.
On Thursday, Colquitt County returned the Buchholz visit by coming to Bobcat Field. But this contest was a little less nerve-wracking for the Bobcats.
Senior Cedaris Smith had three hits, scored two runs and drove in two runs, and junior Aidan Kastensmidt started on the mound and pitched five solid innings to improve to 8-0 as host Buchholz pulled away with a 7-3 win over the Packers from Norman Park, Georgia.
Buchholz, the only undefeated high school baseball team remaining in Florida, is now 21-0. The Bobcats are ranked second in Florida, according to the FHSAA, and third in the state from MaxPreps. Buchholz also is also ranked 10th nationally in the MaxPreps poll.
On Thursday night, the Bobcats jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the opening inning and never looked back. With one out, shortstop Zach Brown singled to left, Smith followed with a single as well. Brown scored to make it 1-0 on a double steal, stealing third and coming home on a throwing error by Colquitt catcher Hayden Hembree.
After Kastensmidt walked, Roen Kresak drove in Smith with a single to make it 2-0. Courtesy runner EJ Williams then scored on another throwing error by Hembree. Stuart Ding capped the outburst with an RBI single to make it 4-0.
“We got out to a four-run lead,” Buchholz coach Ron Brooks said. “Credit [Colquitt County], they kind of battled back and put together some at-bats, but credit to our team we extended the lead again. Overall, we’re just proud of our team and the way we are playing.”
After Colquitt County got a run in the top of the second, Buchholz got the run right back in the bottom half with an RBI double by Smith with two outs for a 5-1 edge.
The Packers cut the deficit to 5-3 in the top of the third, but the Bobcats put the game away in the fourth inning as Smith had his second RBI double and Blake Brewer hit a run-scoring single with two outs for a 7-3 advantage.
“What we are doing is a little unprecedented,” Brooks said. “In this area, I don’t know a team that’s been 21-0. But we can’t let that burden us, and if we don’t play our best baseball Saturday, we will be 21-1.”
Buchholz heads to Lincoln (Tallahassee) on Saturday before finishing the regular season next week with home games against Providence (Jacksonville) and Gainesville.
