Northwest Florida State College’s remarkable baseball season ended on Saturday in Grand Junction, Colorado, as they fell to Blinn College in the NJCAA National Championship game, 12-5. Despite a valiant effort and good hitting, the Raiders couldn’t overcome early mistakes and a powerful Buccaneers offense.
Blinn College took an early lead in the first inning, capitalizing on a Raiders’ error and a crucial double by Ferraro, bringing in two runs. The Buccaneers extended their lead to 6-0 in the second inning with a single by Tanner Reaves and an RBI single by Connor McGinnis.
The Raiders fought back in the bottom of the second inning when Bryce Hubbard drove in a run with a single to right-center. Their momentum continued in the third inning, adding three more runs thanks to a Colby Jones single, a double steal, and a Cade Sadler RBI single, narrowing the gap to 6-4.
However, Blinn responded in the fourth inning with another run and surged ahead in the fifth with a three-run home run, making it 10-4. Jaquae Stewart managed a solo home run in the eighth inning for the Raiders, but it was not enough to spark a comeback.
Blinn’s Davenport secured the win, allowing 12 hits and five runs over nine innings, with eight strikeouts and no walks. Northwest Florida State’s Brock Tapper took the loss, giving up six runs (one earned) on five hits over one and two-thirds innings.
Northwest Florida State recorded 12 hits, with standout performances from Cade Sadler and Chase Williams, who each collected three hits.
Colby Jones, Bryce Hubbard, and Stewart each contributed with one RBI.
Blinn College amassed 16 hits, led by Tanner Reaves with four hits in five at-bats. Multiple hits were also recorded by Tony Vernars, Marshall Lipsey, Brandon Bishop, and Ferraro.
Following the game, five Raiders were named to the World Series All-Tournament team: Mack Estrada, Chase Williams, Jaquae Stewart, Colby Jones, and Bryce Hubbard.
Estrada tallied 16 strikeouts in two appearances, while Williams excelled with a .481 batting average, scoring ten runs and stealing three bases. Stewart hit .471 with four home runs and six RBIs, Jones hit .375 with three home runs and 14 RBIs, and Hubbard hit .500 with two home runs and eight RBIs.
The Raiders end their season with a 40-15 record, marking just the sixth time in program history they have achieved 40 wins or more. Additionally, they made history by being only the second team in the program’s history to reach the World Series and compete for a National Championship since 2015.
