LIVE OAK, Fla. — The Suwannee baseball team took down two-time defending state champion and nationally-ranked Bolles on Thursday to win the district championship. 

Behind the pitching effort of Bo Bonds and Nolan Miller, an excellent all-around game from Trett Wadford and some key defensive plays, the Bulldogs defeated Bolles 5-1. It was Suwannee’s first district title since 2015. 

“They’ve battled through so much this year,” said Suwannee coach Justin Bruce. “Up and down, a lot of losses and a lot of wins — to be able to get to this point and beat a team like that is huge.

“There’s bigger sights, bigger goals that we have. We showed ourselves we can do it.”    

It was a special win for Suwannee (15-11) in front of a big home crowd. It was also pretty special considering the Bulldogs were able to do it with a new-look team and seven players who are starting on varsity for the first time this season. 

Bonds, a junior and one of two returning starters, got the start for Suwannee. He threw four innings and gave up one hit. Bonds left after throwing 45 pitches to be available for Suwannee’s playoff game on Tuesday. 

“Once you get a pitch limit, you give it your all,” said Bonds, who came out pumped up to start and finished with three strikeouts. 

“Our team is so young — the district championship hasn’t happened in a while — to do it with a team full of juniors makes it even better.”

Nolan Miller pitched the final three innings for Suwannee to get the save. With the bases loaded, two outs and SHS holding on to a 5-1 lead in the bottom of the seventh, Miller faced a big challenge as Hunter Barco stepped to the plate as the potential tying run. Barco launched a high fly ball to center field that Ryan LeNeave caught on the warning track — just a feet few from a home run — to end the game.  

“When he hit that ball I was like, ‘oh no.’ It was nerve-wracking,” Miller said. “But a win is a win — that’s all we wanted.”

Bonds gave SHS a 1-0 lead in the top of the first with an RBI single that scored Wadford. The Bulldogs got that run off of Barco, Bolles’ standout pitcher who had defeated SHS earlier in the season. 

Barco returned to the mound and threw a few warm-up pitches in the second inning, but couldn’t continue, giving way to Nathan Skinner.   

Wadford led the way offensively, going 2-4 with two doubles and an RBI. He made a sliding grab in left field to start the second inning and a diving catch for the first out in the fifth inning. 

Those catches were a few of many defensive gems for Suwannee. Hueston Morrill, playing third base, made two nice plays on foul balls. Shortstop Marquis Jones made a leaping catch on the run in shallow left field for the first out of the game. 

Suwannee took control early and made some important plays to keep the momentum throughout the game. 

With two outs and runners on the corners in the fifth inning, LeNeave walked off from first base to try and draw a throw and allow Jones to score from third. The play worked and resulted in a big run. Bolles (20-5) pitcher Patrick Libby threw to second base to try and get LeNeave and Jones sprinted to the plate and dove in headfirst to put SHS ahead 3-0. 

Suwannee tacked on two more runs in the seventh to take a 5-1 lead. 

“We kept the momentum the whole night,” Bruce said. “It’s hard for another team to get it going when every time they go out there you score a run or make a good play.”

UP NEXT: Suwannee hosts Bishop Kenny on Tuesday in a regional quarterfinal. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Box score

								R	H	E
Suwannee	1	0	0	1	0	1	2	5	6	1
Bolles	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	3	2

Wadford — 2-4, 2 doubles, 2 runs, RBI

Bonds — 1-3, RBI, BB — 4 innings pitched, 1 hit, 3 strikeouts, 0 runs

Miller — 0-2, sac fly, RBI — 3 innings pitched, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 strikeout

W Morrill — 1-3, run

Jones — 1-3, HBP, run, stolen base

LeNeave — 1-1, stolen base