By Kyle Coppola
MDCA Baseball to Play Decisive Game 3 Against Orangewood Christian
Mount Dora, FL – In a game filled with fireworks from start to finish, Mount Dora Christian Academy (MDCA) and Orangewood Christian delivered one of the most thrilling contests of the season. Despite a heroic offensive effort, MDCA fell 18-13 in their final home game of the year, setting the stage for a do-or-die Game 3 on Thursday.
Both teams came out swinging, trading blows early. The first inning ended in a 3-3 tie, and the second inning saw another offensive explosion, with each side plating five more runs to knot the game at 8-8.
Orangewood Christian pulled ahead 11-9 in the fifth, but MDCA responded with grit, tying the game at 13-13 going into the decisive seventh inning. However, the Bulldogs couldn’t hold the line, surrendering five runs in the top of the seventh. That late surge proved to be the difference.
The game featured a staggering seven home runs, with Weston Barrett leading the charge for MDCA. Barrett crushed two homers, drove in five RBIs, and scored three runs, turning in one of the best individual performances of the season. Despite his efforts, Orangewood Christian’s lineup was relentless, slugging five home runs of their own.
The new FHSAA three-game series format has put a spotlight on pitching depth, and both teams showed signs of that last evening. Orangewood’s Aiden Balls and Tre Roach each pitched three innings and gave up nine runs combined. For MDCA, Alex Wise, Braden Hunston, and Justin Martin tried to keep things close.
Eli Feld, Jayden Wise, and Jacob Calton all chipped in RBIs for MDCA in the high-scoring affair. But in the end, it was Orangewood’s bats that kept their season alive.
With the series now tied 1-1, MDCA will travel to Orangewood Christian on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for a decisive Game 3. The winner will earn a coveted trip to the FHSAA Class 1A State Semifinals in Fort Myers. Go Bulldogs!
Photo Credit- CJ Prospect Media
Kyle Coppola was born in Newton, Massachusetts and received his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Communications from Curry College in 2016. After traveling to Florida on a family vacation, he decided he could not get enough of the warm weather and made the move from snowy Massachusetts to central Florida 8 years ago.
For the last decade Kyle has gained valuable experience in social media content creation, marketing and sales, writing, video production, sports announcing and even broadcasting for local radio stations, such as FM 102.9 in The Villages and FM 91.5 in Massachusetts. Every year he volunteers at The Villages Charter High School as a play-by-play sports announcer for the football games as well as a public address announcer for the basketball games, including the annual Battle at The Villages Tournament.
Outside the office Kyle is a husband and father to two beautiful girls along with their cat. In his spare time he likes to spend time with his family, travel, play golf and swim. He is also a huge sports junkie and even bigger motorsports fan and loves to attend racing events when he can.
