By Kyle Coppola
Mount Dora Christian Academy Boys Baseball Win District Championship
The Mount Dora Christian Academy boys baseball team won the Class 2A District 6 Championship game 8-4 against Master’s Academy. This was a tough matchup but ultimately MDCA was just slightly better this night than Master’s. Both teams put in a great effort though.
MDCA took an early 2-1 lead after the 1st inning. By inning 3 MDCA was in control 8-2. That would change in the top of the 5th when Master’s would score 2 runs but they could garner no more runs as MDCA would take the win.
(Sophomore Jacob Hair celebrates after a double. He would have 1 hit, 1 RBI and 1 run scored on the evening.)
It was a big night for senior Cael Reish who would have 3 hits and score 2 runs for the Bulldogs. Also contributing was Justin Earle who had 2 RBIs and a run scored. Bryan Schutte also had 2 RBIs and scored a run to go along with 2 hits on the evening.
(It was not an easy game but Ethan Priest was able to grind out 4.2 innings of work to keep MDCA in front of Master’s Academy.)
On the mound, Ethan Priest found himself in early trouble in the game but settled in after the first few innings. He would have 2 strikeouts while giving up 6 hits. The Bulldogs did a good job fielding and helping Priest out. Master’s Academy came in with a solid offense so Priest threw a good game against them. Preston Smith would come in to relieve Ethan Priest in the 5th inning. Smith pitched a flawless final two innings giving up no hits, no walks, and no runs.
(Sophomore Jacob Hair lifts the District Championship trophy with his teammates.)
Overall, it was a successful evening for Mount Dora Christian Academy. They accomplished what they set out to do earlier in the year when we interviewed them on the Sports Hub Podcast. Their goal was to win the district championship. Now they have an opportunity to host a playoff game in the FHSAA Class 2 Regional Quarterfinals next week. The seedings will be unveiled this weekend.
We look forward to seeing just how far this team can go!
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.
