Patriots baseball make most of University blunders, going to state for first time since 2018

Pace baseball had its vans rented for a trip to Fort Myers before Tuesday night's Region 1-6A championship versus University.

The No. 1 team in Class 6A had all the reason in the world for the confidence, but head coach Jason McBride said it was more so about the possibility of having a quick turnaround.

If the Patriots were the ones to advance to the state's Final Four, their first game would be on Friday morning.

"I felt like I was jinxing myself by doing that," McBride said. "But the turnaround was so quick that I had no choice but to do it, but the whole time I was doing it, I felt like I was jinxing myself."

However, the bad luck spell was not cast as the home Patriots walked away 2-0 winners over the Titans to advance to the Class 6A Final Four. They were awarded the No. 1 seed and will play No. 4 Melbourne at 9 a.m. CT Friday.

In an otherwise uneventful game, Pace made their opponent pay for its mistakes in the fourth inning. 

With Andrew Krevatas smoking a leadoff double, Austin Starkie laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the baserunner to third base. The small-ball paid off when Landon Rogers struck out, but on a dropped-third strike allowed Krevatas to race home for the go-ahead score.

Later that inning, despite striking out, Rogers came around to touch home plate when Brent Cadenhead put a ball in play that snuck between the shortstop's wickets. During a one-hit inning, the Patriots scored two runs, proving to be more than enough.

That's because their ace Walter Ford dazzled again in winning his 10th game of the season. Over five innings of work, he allowed no runs on just three hits while waving seven batters.

Now with a mandatory three-day rest period ahead of him, the MLB Draft prospect is slated to pitch in the Class 6A championship game Saturday afternoon if his team qualifies. 

Here are three takeaways from the region championship:

Leaving no doubt

When Pace snuck past Tate in the District 1-6A title game this season, it came with all the dramatics a baseball fan could ask for. But for one pitcher, the theatrics were not welcomed.

In the top of the seventh, the Patriots led by two runs with two outs when sophomore pitcher Tanner Sauls tossed an offering that Aggie Brayden Touchstone took deep over the left field fence to tie the game.

In the biggest moment of his young prep career, his team was now on the ropes. Thankfully, Pace walked off in the bottom half of the inning, and Sauls could take a deep breath.

Well, this time around, in an even larger spotlight, McBride went back to Sauls to secure the victory. With Ford nearing the pitch limit, the sophomore was entered into the contest. 

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"I'm 100% confident, he's been doing it all season, he's been backing me up since day one," Ford said. "He's probably one of the better sophomores I've ever seen. I've got more confidence in him than anyone, when he goes out there I feel kind of relieved."

This time, Ford's relief was traded for exuberance as he watched his reliever send the team to state.

Sauls worked two pop-outs and a strikeout in the sixth inning before putting the exclamation mark on his lockdown save effort. To send the Patriots off with fireworks, Sauls struck out the seventh-inning side.

"It's tremendous," Sauls said. "Just knowing that we are going to state, right there where we always dreamed of going. We're going to state now, it's a tremendous feeling."

For the name on the front

When the season opened up, hefty expectations sat in front of the Patriots. With the arrival of Ford and the senior seasons of college commits and heavy hitters like Broc Parmer and Jackson McKenzie, the sky was the limit.

Andrew Krevatas, also a senior, wasn't sure whether or not a role for him was in the cards. With such a good team, his playing time was sparse to start the season, and not to his surprise.

"I knew we were a good team and playing time was going to be hard to find because we are such a good team" Krevatas said. "We are top 20 in the nation, so I knew I just had to keep grinding and keep grinding and then when I got a chance, not miss it."

As the year moved forward, his name became more of a fixture in the lineup card. He appeared in 18 games and is currently third on the team with a .286 batting average. He went from someone who wasn't sure he'd see the field to someone who they can hardly go without.

And on Tuesday night, he was given his biggest chance yet. Leading off in the bottom of the fourth inning, he had the opportunity to get his team's stagnant offense going. He drove a ball to the outfield fence, reaching second base and eventually, scored what turned out to be the game-winning run on a passed ball.

Not bad for a senior who was initially seeing limited action.

"It (lack of playing time) was kind of stressful to me, I'm a senior obviously, but whenever I get the opportunity, you just have to go out there and take full advantage," Krevatas said. "You just have to keep buying into the system, keep buying into Pace High School."

'I'm living my childhood dream'

Sure, he's gotten plenty of coverage and publicity this season, but it's warranted. When you take into account the resume of Walter Ford, he's truly putting together a storybook senior season.

Between a 10-1 record, sub-1.50 ERA and nearly two punchouts per inning, the individual numbers are there. Tack on a team trip to the state Final Four and a pending MLB Draft selection in July, and the script couldn't be written better in Hollywood.

Ford is living out what anyone who has ever played sports hoped to be.

"I'm living my childhood dream," Ford said. "A lot of guys dream of being a senior and making a state run and not only that, but being able to be a draft prospect, that's something I'm very humble for and I kind of am proud of myself … all the dedication, hard work and sacrifice I had to make to get here."

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But he hasn't hung his hat on anything just yet. To make sure the dream doesn't turn to a nightmare, he has more work to be done.

"I'm taking it a game at a time so the only thing I'm really looking forward to is Friday's game." Ford said. 

Down in Fort Myers, the Patriots will square off against the Bulldogs with a bid to the state championship game at stake. Melbourne will enter that bout at 26-2, and as the only non-top seed from a region to make it to the Final Four.

If Pace is able to slow the Bulldogs' roll and end their Cindarella-like run, Ford will get one last chance to toe the rubber. The ball will be his on Saturday, and he can finish what he started.

It would just be one of numerous feathers to add to his cap.

"I'm extremely excited, but I expect us to be there, so I'm not going to be over-enthused, I'm not going to come out jumpy," Ford said. "I'm going to be composed, go right at batters and do what I do."

Lucas Semb can be reached at Lsemb@pensacol.gannett.com or 850-281-7414. Follow him on Twitter at @Lucas_Semb for stories and various Pensacola area score updates.