Braden River baseball team’s season ends in eight innings to Sunlake

First the ball dropped in the outfield.

Then you could hear a pin drop in the Braden River High School bleachers.

Michael Wu hit a two-run double in the top of the eighth inning to lift Land O'Lakes Sunlake High School past Braden River 3-1 in a Class 7A-Region quarterfinal baseball game Tuesday night in Bradenton.

The extra-inning win propelled the Seahawks (16-11) into a regional semifinal game against the winner of Tuesday’s game between Brandon and St. Petersburg Northeast. Braden River ends its season 17-11.

Braden River head coach Craig Page kept his players on the field afterward to discuss the game.

The game was a pitchers’ duel between Ryan Duncan of Braden River and Tommy Mace of Sunlake.

Duncan pitched seven innings, allowing one run on four hits. He struck out eight and walked none.

Mace pitched 6 1/3 innings, giving up one run on six hits. He struck out seven, walked three and hit two batters.

Braden River took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning when J.J. Bouche singled. Courtesy runner Chandler Brown stole second base and scored on a single to right by Gavin Root.

Sunlake got the run back in the top of the fifth. Ryan Rodriguez singled to right, stole second and scored on a single to center by Jacob Orlicek.

Mace was relieved in the seventh inning by Casey Weirich, who pitched out of a jam and then struck out two of the three batters he faced in the eighth.

Meanwhile, Andre Fonseca relieved Duncan in the eighth and gave up two singles and Wu's game-winning hit, sending quiet Pirate fans down the long sidewalk, quietly back to their cars.

You could hear the pin drop again.

This story was originally published May 10, 2017 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Braden River baseball team’s season ends in eight innings to Sunlake."