Raiders Wrap Up Regular Season with Doubleheader Split, Clinch Postseason Berth

NICEVILLE, Fla. — Northwest Florida State Baseball closed out its regular season Saturday afternoon with a split in its final doubleheader against Tallahassee State College. The Raiders rolled to a 12-2 run-rule win in game one before dropping game two, 11-6, at Jim Spooner Field.

Despite the game two setback, the Raiders clinched a second-place finish in the Panhandle Conference standings. That result secures Northwest Florida's fourth consecutive FCSAA postseason berth and gives them the right to host a best-of-three Playoff Regional series for the third straight year. The Raiders finish the regular season with an overall record of 32-15 and a 14-10 mark in conference play.

Game One: Raiders 12, Eagles 2 (6 innings)

The Raiders wasted no time jumping on the Eagles in the first game of the day. After giving up two early runs in the top of the first, Northwest Florida responded in a big way in the bottom half of the inning. The offense erupted for six runs on four hits, highlighted by a three-run blast over the left field wall from freshman Sam Bradley that gave the home team a 6-2 lead.

Northwest Florida continued to build its lead in the second inning. RBI singles from Henry Allen and Preston Murphy pushed the advantage to 8-2, giving starting pitcher Thomas Conrad plenty of run support to work with.

The freshman right-hander delivered one of his best performances of the season. Conrad struck out 11 batters across six complete innings, scattering seven hits while allowing just two earned runs and walking one. He kept the Eagles off balance all afternoon with an effective mix of pitches and sharp command in the zone.

The Raiders kept pouring it on offensively. A solo homer to dead center by Sylas Boris in the fifth and a triple from Tristan Bittle that drove in another run stretched the lead to 11-2. Boris finished the game 3-for-4 with a pair of singles and the home run, continuing his standout play down the stretch.

Northwest Florida capped off the run-rule win in the sixth, scoring its 12th run on a base hit to end the game early. Allen, Bittle, and David Alvarez all finished with multiple hits as the Raiders pounded out 12 total hits in the win.

Game Two: Eagles 11, Raiders 6

Game two had a much different tone, as Tallahassee State flipped the script and put the pressure on early. In the top of the second, the Eagles jumped ahead with a three-run homer from Boone Hosey followed by an RBI single from Bryce Hooker to take a 4-0 lead.

Northwest Florida chipped away with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the inning and another in the third, but Tallahassee's bats stayed hot. Keuri Martinez launched a solo home run to left in the third to extend the lead, and the Eagles kept adding on behind a 15-hit performance. Martinez finished with multiple hits, as did Wyatt Jenkins, Cade Culbreth, and Andrew Duncan. Hooker went 3-for-5 to pace Tallahassee at the plate, while the team also swiped three bases in the game.

Bryon Rincones got the start for the Raiders and struck out four over 2.2 innings, allowing five runs (three earned) on eight hits. Northwest Florida used several arms in relief, but Tallahassee continued to find gaps in the defense and add to its lead.

Offensively, the Raiders totaled nine hits. Boris and Bittle again led the way with two hits apiece, while Qrey Lott and Matthew Keller each drove in a run. Despite a few late-inning opportunities, NWF couldn't string together enough offense to close the gap.

On Deck

With the regular season now complete, the Raiders shift their focus to the postseason. Northwest Florida will host a best-of-three FCSAA Playoff Regional series at home next week (May 2-4) with opponent and times to be announced. The winner of the series will advance to the Championship round of the FCSAA State Tournament in Port Charlette, Florida.

Stay tuned to NWF Athletics and follow @NWFRaiders on social media for schedule updates and postseason coverage.