April 18, 2025
South Sumter High Edges Nature Coast Tech 5-4 to Capture Class 3A District 7 Championship
By Kyle Coppola
South Sumter High Edges Nature Coast Tech 5-4 to Capture Class 3A District 7 Championship
BUSHNELL, Fla. — South Sumter High School weathered an early storm and leaned on a strong bullpen performance to claim the FHSAA Class 3A District 7 Championship with a thrilling 5-4 win over Nature Coast Tech on Thursday night.
The Raiders found themselves in a 2-0 hole after the top of the first inning, but junior pitcher Jackson Gill settled in quickly, striking out three batters before handing the ball over to sophomore Grant Polk in the third. Polk delivered a clutch 3.2-inning outing, allowing just one run and striking out three to keep South Sumter within striking distance.
The offense sparked to life in the bottom of the second, with South Sumter plating three runs to take a 3-2 lead. Junior Gabe Sabilona led the charge at the plate, tallying two hits including a double, while Luis Quintana contributed with a key RBI single.
Nature Coast Tech responded in the third, tying the game 3-3, but senior Malakhi Boone shifted the momentum back in the Raiders’ favor with a towering solo home run in the bottom of the inning, putting South Sumter back on top 4-3.
(Malakhi Boone has been a force this season. His go ahead home run in the 4th inning was a huge turning point in the game.)
Nature Coast’s Bryce Hewell and Jackson Hoyt delivered solid performances to keep the game tight, but the Raiders bullpen held firm. Cody Deason pitched a scoreless sixth, striking out one, before freshman Tyson Lake was called upon to close things out in the seventh.
Despite issuing two walks, Lake showed poise beyond his years, striking out two and securing the final out to seal the win and the district title for South Sumter.
(The South Sumter High Raiders celebrate their win in the District Championship.)
With the victory, South Sumter advances to the regional playoffs with momentum and confidence. This was a long time coming for the South Sumter High School baseball program which is looking to reclaim the dominance they once had. It was also cool to see the Boone brothers get a senior moment together. Malakhi and Bubba Boone sat together after the game was over on the field with the trophy. It was almost a passing of the torch type deal as Bubba will lead this team as a senior next year with Malakhi moving on to UCF for football and baseball.
(Special moment shared between brothers. Bubba Boone “left” and Malakhi Boone “right” hold the FHSAA Class 3A District 7 Championship Trophy. The two brothers have been so much fun to watch at South Sumter High the past few years.)
But the Raiders have unfinished business. They now turn their attention to the State Regional Quarterfinals. How far can this team go this year?
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.
