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Pace defeats Gulf Breeze 7-6 in 10 Inning Thriller

April 27, 2023
Connor Holdren
Director of Multimedia

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Headed to Pensacola last night for, what might have been the best High School baseball game I’ve been to this spring. That mathcup was the Pace Patriots against the Gulf Breeze Dolphins. Londen Taylor took the mound for the Doplhins and he was opposed by Nash Pires for the Patriots. Scoring got started early in the top of the 1st as Jackson McKenzie hit a no-doubt HR to give Pace the 1-0 lead.


Pires worked around a Troy Coughlin single for a scoreless bottom half. After a hit batsman and an error, Austin Starkie singled to extend the Patriot lead to 2. Two walks and an error loaded the bases for Gulf Breeze in the 2nd. Roman Jackson then singled to drive in the 1st run and then another error in the inning led to us being all knotted at 2 as we headed to the 3rd. Neither team could push across anything in the 3rd, the Dolphins threatened after a leadoff single from Coughlin and a walk by Gavin Howard, but ultimately didn’t score. The scoring started back up in the 4th after Grant Walters singled and later  was driven in by Pires with a single of his own. 

  

Glenn Brooks singled in the 5th and later scored on a passed ball to extend the lead back out to 2 for the Patriots. Coughlin picked up his 3rd hit of the night to lead off the 5th for the Dolphins and was immediately driven in by a double from Howard.


Seth Frantz hit a sac-fly to score Howard and we were once again all tied up, this time at 4.

The relievers for both teams settled in, Roman Jackson for Gulf Breeze and Tucker Ricks for Pace. Neither team could push across a winning run in 7 innings so we headed to extras. A huge double play from Luke DeWeese and Gavin Howard got the Dolphins out of an 8th inning jam. Gulf Breeze threatened bottom 8 but Alex McCranie got a huge strikeout to end the inning. Pace would strike 1st in extras after Pires was hit-by-a-pitch and later scored on a sac-fly by Brooks.


The score would be immediatley tied back up after Carter Mcilwain doubled to lead off the botttom half of the 9th. Frantz then singled to drive in the tying run. 


The threat was not over, as the Dolphins had the winning run on 2nd but Tanner Owens entered and got 3 quick outs. McKenzie led off the 10th with a double. 


He later scored the go-ahead run on a Matthew Musgrove sac-fly. 


Back to back bunts from Starkie and Pires led to the 7th and final run for the Patriots. The Dolphins would not go away quietly as they would have back to back hits to lead off the bottom half of the 10th, a single from Bryson Rouillier and a double from Gavin Queeneville. Coughlin drove him one run and cut the Pace lead to just 1 with 2 outs. Owens got the final out and after 10 intense innings we finally had a winner.


Final 

Pace - 7

Gulf Breeze - 6


WP: Tanner Owens


Top Performers 


Pace

Jackson McKenzie HR 2B

Grant Walters 2-4

Nash Pires 2-4

Austin Starkie 2 RBI


Gulf Breeze

Troy Coughlin 3-6

Gavin Howard 2B 2BB

Jacob Pinardo 3BB

Roman Jackson 5IP 5Ks