GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Flight delays caused Northwest Florida State College to spend 24 hours traveling from Niceville, Fla., to Grand Junction last week.
After losing their opener in the Alpine Bank Junior College World Series, the Raiders were looking at a quick turnaround home.
Instead, they’ve won four straight elimination games in convincing fashion to land in Saturday’s championship game, the latest a 13-3 rout of previously undefeated Georgia Highlands in six innings Thursday night.
A seven-run sixth inning turned a 6-3 game into a runaway, with 11 men going to the plate for Northwest Florida, bidding to win its second JUCO World Series in as many trips, and being the second straight Florida team to win the Division I crown.
After the Raiders scored on a wild pitch and an RBI single by Kendry Maduro, designated hitter Cade Sadler went to the plate with the bases loaded.
They weren’t loaded for long — on the second pitch, he drove the ball over the batters’ eye in center field for a grand slam, the second of the tournament for Northwest Florida. That made it 12-3, and Bryce Hubbard followed with a solo shot into the parking lot behind the right field wall for the 10-run cushion.
The Chargers were retired in order in the bottom of the sixth, and will play Blinn College at 7 p.m. Friday for a spot in Saturday’s championship game. Georgia Highlands claimed a wild 15-14 win over the Buccaneers on Wednesday night in a matchup of the final two undefeated teams in the 10-team field.
Northwest Florida (40-14, 4-1 JUCO) received the bye into the championship game based on playing the most games in the tournament, five. Blinn and Georgia Highlands (56-9, 3-1 JUCO) have each played four.
Eight of the nine Northwest Florida starters got at least one hit, with Cayden Gaskin going 3 for 5 and Maduro going 3 for 4. Hubbard had three RBI, hitting two home runs. Jaquae Stewart also hit a home run, his third of the tournament for the Raiders, a team that has turned heads with its speed, but can also hit for power. Northwest Florida has outscored its opponents 65-21 this week.
Grayson Godbee hit his second home run of the tournament for the Chargers.
Sam Strek threw a complete game, allowing three runs on four hits. He didn’t strike out a batter, allowed only two walks, but got outstanding defense behind him.
Trip Dovale took the loss for the Chargers, allowing 13 runs on 15 hits through 5.1 innings. He was on the brink of coming out of the game before Sadler’s key at-bat, but Georgia Highlands coach Dash O’Neill elected to stay with him. He struck out six and walked five.