16-05-2025
St. Thomas Aquinas barrels its way into the Class 6A state baseball final
Teams can sometimes succumb to jitters when it's their first time playing at the state final four.
Not St. Thomas Aquinas' baseball team.
The Raiders were itching to get on the field Friday at Hammond Stadium.
And when they did, they barely stopped hitting.
Aquinas unleashed an offensive barrage in its first trip to state since last winning a championship in 2018, and routed Valrico Bloomingdale 15-0 in four innings in a Class 6A semifinal.
The Raiders (28-6-1) will next take on Gainesville Buchholz in the 6A state championship game on Saturday at 2. Aquinas is seeking its fourth state title all-time.
'We looked to this game with anticipation,' Aquinas coach Joey Wardlow said. 'We had a long last week after that regional final and during the week as we ramped up, we could feel the adrenaline.
'When we stepped out in that first inning, it went well on defense and well on offense and it took away any jitters we might have had.'
Junior center fielder Nico Sabatino was the tone-setter for the onslaught, roping a leadoff double to left off Bloomingdale starter Hayden Porter to start a five-run first inning.
Sabatino would later hit his eighth home run of the season on a solo blast to right field.
'My job is to get the team going,' Sabatino said. 'I saw that fastball and I took it. I was just in that flow state and now the offense is ready to go.'
Aquinas' power was a major reason it made it to Fort Myers this season as it hit 67 home runs entering the state final four.
'We kind of look at baserunners and barrels,' Wardlow said. 'If we get baserunners, somebody is gonna barrel up a ball. If they stay in the middle, they'll open it up. If we can get out front and just stack up one and another, we can hold teams down.'
Cole Lasher, who has seven homers this season, went 2 for 2 with a double and three RBI.
Andrew Alvarez, who has 13 home runs, went 3 for 3 with two doubles and two RBI.
And Zack Malvasio, who has hit a team-high 16 home runs, went 2 for 4 with two RBI.
'We just had to put it on them early and not let up,' Alvarez said. 'We had to keep that type of energy and not let up.'
Senior Thomas Giltner did the rest as he gave up two hits over four shutout innings and struck out two, sparing Aquinas from having to use any more pitchers before Saturday's final.
