Box Score NICEVILLE – The grit and resiliency that defines Polk State Baseball was on display again on Saturday in the second game of the Niceville Regional. For the second day in a row, however, the Northwest Florida State College bats woke up late for another eight-inning run-rule victory, 14-4.

Batting as the home team, Polk State (33-25) trailed 4-1 at the midway point. The seventh-seeded Eagles put together a two-out rally to tie the game.

Jordan Thomas' second home run of the season – a two-run blast to right field – cut the lead to 4-3. That was followed by a single from Damion Kenealy, a hit batter, and an RBI single from Pierce Glading that knotted the score at 4 apiece.

"My approach was just to keep it simple," Thomas said. "To be in this environment was electric. I hope to get back and go even further next year."

JT Long, the Citrus Conference Fireman of the Year, took his only loss of the season in the finale. One out away from getting out of the sixth unscathed, Northwest Florida's Tyler Lejeune hammered a fastball into the gap to plate two runs and from there, it was all Raiders.

"We battled hard," Polk State Head Coach Al Corbeil said. "We played great defense, too. You have to play your best in this environment. They were the better team."

Great baserunning from No. 6 Northwest Florida State in the seventh inning allowed the second-seeded Raiders to score two more and double their lead to 8-4.

"It got away from us again," Corbeil added. "Give Northwest Florida credit – they're the best team I've seen all year running the bases. They got a couple of big hits."

NWF put itself in position to run-rule the Eagles with six runs in the eighth. Cade Sadler hit a three-run home run for the second day in a row to highlight the frame.

"It was disappointing," sophomore catcher Aris Rivera said. "Getting run-ruled twice in a row isn't ideal. It gives our freshmen an idea of what playoff baseball is all about. I hope this motivates them every day next year."

Northwest Florida took the lead early with two runs in the first inning. After an RBI groundout from Jaquae Stewart got the Raiders on the board, Sadler came through with a big two-out RBI single.

The Eagles got on the board in the third inning. For the second day in a row, Roberto Odor got the offense going with a lead-off walk. After Kelsen Johnson was hit by a pitch and Thomas sacrificed to third, Kenealy drove home the first Polk State run with an RBI groundout.

Aiden Butler gave Polk State an admirable start on the mound, going five innings, yielding just three earned runs on five hits while striking out two and walking two. Reliever Brock Tapper got the win for Northwest Florida, allowing just one hit in 3.1 shutout innings of relief. He struck out five, including the final four Polk State hitters he faced.

Odor scored twice in his final game for Polk State. Thomas finished with multiple hits for his second day in a row for Polk State and for the sixth time in the Eagles' final 11 games. For the second day in a row, Thomas was the only freshman in the starting lineup for the Eagles. He closes the 2024 season on a six-game hitting streak.

"(The sophomores) showed me the ropes of what it means to be a Polk State Baseball player," Thomas added. "This is a great group of men and I'm going to keep in contact with them for the rest of my life."

Sadler and Jones each had three hits for NWF. Sadler finished with four RBIs for the second straight day.

Although Polk State's season has come to an end, it did qualify for the FCSAA Tournament for the fourth straight season. All 12 outgoing Polk State sophomores have signed to play at four-year schools, including eight NCAA Division I programs.

"We're losing a lot of guys, but we had a great group of sophomores this year and I'm really proud of them – not just for what they did on the field, but how they handled themselves in the classroom and out in the community," Corbeil concluded. "For the freshmen coming back, you can only hope this experience guides them."