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![The Buchholz Bobcats baseball team takes on the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders in the FHSAA Class 6A state championship game on May 17, 2025 from Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida. [Seth Bunger/Gainesville Sun]](https://www.wruf.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Buchholz-660x330.webp)
With their eyes set on a state championship, the Buchholz High School baseball team traveled to Fort Myers, Florida. The Bobcats were determined to finish what they started in the FHSAA Class 6A Baseball State Championships.
The First Step
In the semifinal, the Bobcats took control early against Wharton High School, putting up three runs in the first inning. Behind strong pitching and solid defense, they shut out the Wildcats for a 3-0 win, punching their ticket to the championship game.
One More To Go
Their opponent was the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders, who crushed Bloomingdale High School 15-0 in their semifinal.
Both teams entered the game red hot. The Raiders had won 13 of their last 14 games, while the Bobcats came in with 12 wins in their previous 13.
St. Thomas Aquinas struck early, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning, but the Bobcats responded quickly.
![The Buchholz Bobcats baseball team takes on the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders in the FHSAA Class 6A state championship game on May 17, 2025 from Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida. [Seth Bunger/Gainesville Sun]](https://www.gainesville.com/gcdn/authoring/authoring-images/2025/05/17/NTGS/83699612007-sab-00742.jpg?width=660&height=529&fit=crop&format=pjpg&auto=webp)
In the bottom half, senior JJ Gardner launched a two-run home run over the outfield fence to cut the deficit to 3-2.
“We came back,” Buchholz head coach Ron Brooks said. “Big swing by J.J. there gets us back in the game.”
In the top of the second, the Raiders sent eight batters to the plate and tacked on three more runs, extending their lead to 6-2. From there, Buchholz was not able to mount a comeback.
The Bobcats added a run in the fifth inning, but St. Thomas Aquinas responded with two insurance runs in the seventh. A lack of a response from Buchholz sealed an 8-3 victory and the state title for the Raiders.
“I really like our guys approaches, the way they kept battling, stayed together,” Brooks said. “It wasn’t our day, it was their day.”
Buchholz receives their runner-up medals pic.twitter.com/w0vzrWTDbF
— Noah Ram (@Noah_ram1) May 17, 2025
Once again, Buchholz baseball came up one game short of winning it all.
This time, the Bobcats return to Gainesville with a historic season under their belts. The 2025 Buchholz team recorded the most wins in program history (33) and earned a No. 10 national ranking.
