Buchholz Baseball Closes Regular Season on Roll
Buchholz baseball clawed Ocala Vanguard 6-0 on Senior Night at Bobcat Park to win their sixth straight game to close out the regular season.
“Having good at-bats early in the game set the tone,” Buchholz coach Chris Malphurs said Friday. “Reed gave us a good start. So it was just a good night all around.”
Senior pitcher Reed Thomas started hot for the Bobcats by striking out the side in the first.
Buchholz (17-7) opened up the bottom half with a triple to center field by senior Zac Brown, who quickly scored on a double by junior Roen Kresak. After two walks, the Bobcats struck again on a single from senior Dion Wilburn for a 3-0 lead.
Thomas stayed lights out in the second with a groundout and two strikeouts.
Brown got his second hit with a double down the left-field line. After a groundout, senior Blak Brewer drove Brown in on a single to take a 4-0 lead in the second.
Vanguard (15-7) got its first hit on a single by Spencer Payne. The Knights followed the hit with a groundout and then a double play.
Thomas sent three more Knights in a row back to the dugout in the fourth. Thomas continued his dominance with his third three-up, three-down inning in the fifth. He ended with seven strikeouts and allowed one hit in five innings pitched.
“My teammates, just knowing they’re behind me, they’re going to play as hard as they can and be as great as they are,” Thomas said.
Vanguard got its second hit in the sixth with a single by Nathan Johnson. The Knights followed the single with a groundout to first to end the frame.
The Bobcats got rolling again in the sixth with a single by senior Angel Irizarry and a hit by pitch with no outs. Senior Antoine Deleyrolle hit a sacrifice bunt to move both runners up a base. Brown and Kresak capitalized with a sacrifice fly and a single, respectively, for a 6-0 lead.
Deleyrolle finished the game by setting Vanguard down in order in the seventh.
“Things come together at the right time, and we want to be playing our best baseball right now,” Malphurs said. “I think our best baseball is ahead of us, but we’re playing pretty good right now.”
Top seed Buchholz will face the winner of Tuesday’s four seed Orange Park Oakleaf (12-13) vs. five seed Ocala Forest (8-13) quarterfinal game in a 6A-District-2 semifinal Wednesday night at Bobcat Park.
2026 FHSAA Baseball District Tournaments 6A District 2
Category: Baseball, Buchholz High School, High School Sports
