Bowling Green School came up short in its three game Class AAA playoff series against Central Private School, two games to one.
The series took place April 30 and May 4.
After losing game one, 13-7 at home, the Buccaneers tied the series at a game apiece with a 12-5 victory at Central Private on Friday, forcing a deciding contest that was right after game two. They fell 1-0 in a hard-fought game.
In the game two of the series, Bowling Green jumped out to a 7-0 lead through 2.5 innings, but Central Private closed the gap to 7-5 in its half of the third. Bowling Green broke the game open with five runs in the seventh for the 12-5 victory.
Casey Burge had a big game, going 2-for-4 with a grand slam in the seventh inning, a double, four runs batted in and a run scored.
Cameron Bell posted two hits that included a double, two runs scored and an RBI.
Cade Knight singled, drove in a run and scored two runs.
Hunter Wilkinson had a hit, two runs scored and a pair of runs batted in.
Ben Hicks posted a hit, two RBIs and a run scored.
Reese Dillon tallied a hit, a run and an RBI
Drew Wagner singled and scored a run.
Mitchell Lott singled for the Buccaneers.
Bowling Green came up short in the next game, 1-0.
The game’s lone run came in the fourth inning.
Timmy Ruffino and Ben Hicks threw three solid innings each.
Ruffino allowed no hits in his shutout performance with two strikeouts and three walks.
Hicks was also solid. He was the tough-luck losing pitcher after allowing just a run on two hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
Bowling Green was limited to two hits, as Burge and Wilkinson had a single each.
Bowling Green coach Justin Garcia spoke highly of the season.
“As a whole, we’ll look back it in a couple weeks or so and it was a success,” Garcia said. “We got to the playoffs for the first time in a long time. That’s a big building block. We won in the first round, which is big.
“We competed all year and you really saw it in the playoffs. I’m proud of the way we prepared and came to work. It’s another step in the right direction for the program.”
This year’s team had eight seniors in Bell, Burge, Lott, Matt Hicks, Ruffino, Wagner, Liam Ward and Gage Winget.
Garcia praised his senior class.
“They were leaders for us on and off the field,” Garcia said. “The way they went about their business at practice, in the weight room and in the classroom, I couldn’t have asked for a better senior class. They’ve been amazing. They kind of ran this thing for themselves.
“It kind of went on autopilot once this thing got going. I could trust they could control the team and honestly, the way they competed was a perfect example for the younger guys. And, they were pretty good baseball players, so that always helps.”
Central Private advanced to the semifinals and was defeated by Wayne Academy in a best-of-three series.