Here’s a roundup of district baseball championship games involving Treasure Coast-area teams from Tuesday, April 14 to Friday, April 17.
Five area teams in total hoisted district titles this week: Jensen Beach, Martin County, Okeechobee, St. Edward’s and Vero Beach.
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Friday
District 8-6A Final
No. 1 Martin County (19-6) 2, No. 2 Dwyer (15-8) 1: The Panthers have recently been a thorn in the Tigers’ side. But for the first time in quite some time, Martin County finally bested its rival from Palm Beach Gardens.
The Tigers captured their first district title since 2022 after outlasting Dwyer during a low-scoring affair in Stuart. The Panthers had won the last four meetings in this matchup, including a regional quarterfinal victory in 2024 and a triumph in last season’s district title game.
How does it feel to finally earn some redemption?
“There’s a lot of relief,” Martin County head coach Brett Hawkins said. (The Panthers) always are a good team. They’re always well talented, they play the game the right way, to win. They’re always competitive. Every time we play them, they’ve always been a tough team to try to get over the hump.”
Tremendous relief pitching was the biggest reason why Martin County got the monkey off its back. Four pitchers combined to allow just one hit. However, it’s the manner in which the relievers were thrusted into action that made the performance that much spectacular.
Brycen Payne started the game on the mound. The junior recorded five outs, but was pulled after suffering an injury. Fellow juniors Landon Del Tufo, Dillon Thomas and Preston Sullivan held the fort on a moment’s notice, tossing the final 5 1/3 innings.
Typically the team’s mid-week starter, Del Tufo made his first relief appearance of the season. He allowed the game’s first run in the top of the fourth inning, but was effective from there. “Mr. Consistency,” as Hawkins calls him, only gave up a hit and two walks through 2 1/3 innings of work.
Next, Thomas was simply electric. Five of the six outs he recorded were strikeouts as he earned the win after two perfect innings.
Sullivan came in during the seventh to collect the save. He made his first appearance on the bump in a month after battling a back injury. The junior relinquished a walk and struck out a pair to end it.
“That just shows you what type of young men they’re made of,” Hawkins said. “We work hard on the mindset of things. We always try to keep them ready. … To keep a team like Dwyer, who is a well, 1-9 hitting team, to just one hit and one run is just something you don’t hear very often.”
Martin County broke a 1-1 tie on a Grady Messner infield single in the bottom of the sixth. Zach Stern drove in the Tigers’ first run in the fourth. Stern also had the team’s extra-base hit with a double.
The Tigers entered district ranked fifth in Region 2-6A. Even as a lower-seeded team, Martin County may be in position to host a regional quarterfinal. If the rankings hold, the team will play at home against Viera, who fell to Melbourne in the District 7-6A Final.
District 13-5A
No. 1 Okeechobee (17-6) 6, No. 3 Sebastian River (10-10-1) 0: Carsen Williams racked up 14 strikeouts in a complete-game gem over the Sharks. Visit TCPalm.com for a full recap.
District 13-1A
No. 1 St. Edward’s (16-3) 10, No. 2 Master’s Academy (8-13) 0: Outscoring opponents 21-0 through two district wins, the Pirates cruised to their first district title in 30 years after a five-inning victory over the Patriots in Fort Pierce. Visit TCPalm.com for a full recap.
Thursday
District 10-7A
No. 1 Vero Beach (19-4) 9, No. 3 Treasure Coast (10-10-1) 0: Vero cruised to a district three-peat after blanking the Titans at home. Visit TCPalm.com for a full recap.
District 14-4A
No. 1 Jensen Beach (15-9) 4, No. 2 Dr. Joaquin Garcia (13-12) 2: The host Falcons surged ahead with two runs in the bottom of the fifth innings to outlast the Bulldogs. Visit TCPalm.com for a full recap.
District 8-2A
No. 1 Cocoa Beach (15-10) 9, No. 3 John Carroll Catholic (7-12): The Rams struck first on the road, but couldn’t keep pace with the Minutemen, who broke the game open with five runs in the fifth.
Noah Kehres delivered an RBI single in the top of the first, to score Rhen Solesky. Kehres finished with two hits while Layton Chandler, Evans Crary and Zac Yancy each added a hit. Solesky had two walks.
Cannon Ortiz started on the mound, allowing seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts through 3 2/3 innings. Jack Fumare finished out the game. He gave up three hits and a walk while fanning two through 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
Ranked 11th in Region 2-2A, John Carroll’s 2026 campaign likely has come to a close.
Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers. He can be reached at 772-985-9692, on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: District Baseball Roundup: Martin County gets over the Dwyer hump
Reporting by Patrick Bernadeau, Treasure Coast Newspapers / Treasure Coast Newspapers
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