Raiders Hold Off Late Surge, Edge Central Florida 12-11 in Regional Opener

OCALA, Fla. — Northwest Florida survived a wild ninth inning Friday afternoon, holding off a furious comeback from No. 2 seed Central Florida to secure a dramatic 12-11 victory in Game 1 of the FCSAA Division I Baseball Championship Ocala Regional.

The No. 7-seeded Raiders appeared to be in full control early, building a commanding 7-0 lead through five innings behind a powerful offensive showing. But Central Florida stormed back, scoring 11 runs over the final five frames and putting the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the ninth.

With the bases loaded and just one out, reliever Damian Brown delivered in the biggest moment of the day, inducing a game-ending 4-6-3 double play to slam the door and preserve the win for Northwest Florida.

The Raiders totaled 10 hits, including four extra-base knocks, while Central Florida countered with 14 hits of its own. Angel Santiago paced Northwest Florida offensively with a perfect 3-for-3 day, while Sam Bradley added two hits. Hunter Tarchalski and Orlando Fernandez each went deep in the game.

Following a three run third, Northwest Florida continued to pile on with a two-run homer from Orlando Fernandez in the fourth and a two-run blast from Hunter Tarchalski in the fifth. The Raiders later added critical insurance in the ninth when Nathan Nance tripled home a run before Santiago brought him in with a sacrifice fly.

Central Florida made things interesting late, trimming the deficit to one run in the ninth and loading the bases before Brown's clutch double-play ball ended the threat.

Bradley Garrett earned the win after tossing 6.2 innings, allowing eight runs on eight hits while striking out five. Brown picked up the save, recording the final two outs under immense pressure. Alex Kruse, Aiden Torrez, and Brady Martin also contributed in relief.

With the victory, Northwest Florida now sits one win away from advancing to the FCSAA Championship Final Four. Game 2 is currently scheduled for Saturday at 12 p.m. (CDT), though weather could impact start time.