Lincoln Baseball Advances to State Semifinal

The Lincoln baseball team (24-10) played a three-game series against top seeded Niceville (28-6) in the 5A Regional 1 finals on May 7, May 8 and May 10. After a close loss for the Trojans in the first game, Lincoln finished the series with two straight wins advancing to the state semifinals.

The first game of the series was the closest out of the three, with Niceville beating Lincoln 1-0. The Eagles only run come in the 5th inning. Despite having nine hits in the first game, the Trojans could not produce any runs, which would change for the better in the rest of the series. After a nine-hit, scoreless start to the series, the Trojans found their rhythm, converting hits into crucial runs in the next two games.

Lincoln started the second game off strong with four runs in the first inning. The Trojans would hold this lead until the third inning when Niceville put three runs on the scoreboard making it 4-3 favoring the Trojans heading into the fourth inning. Lincoln kept Niceville scoreless for the rest of the game winning 5-3 and tying the series up at 1-1, forcing a third game. Notable Lincoln performances for this game included Cody Garber (Jr.) with one hit, one run and 2 RBI’s and pitcher Chase Fuller (So.) who had six strikeouts on 11 batters faced and a OBA (Opponent Batting Average) of .182.

Lincoln was quick to get an advantage over Niceville in the last game going up 7-0 in the first three innings. Trying to mount a comeback, Niceville put three runs on the board in the fifth inning. Although their lead diminished, the Trojans responded with a five run inning in the sixth closing the game out with a final score of 12-3. Notable performances from the Trojans include Lucas Cannady (Jr.) with three runs, two hits and three RBI’s and Chase Fuller with one homerun, three runs and one RBI.

With their dominating performance in the final game of the series, the Trojans won the series against Niceville and advanced to the state semifinals against Wesley Chapel (18-14) on May 15 as the new 1 seed in the tournament.