Baseball: Plenty to celebrate in Buchholz's special senior night win over Belleview

It was a special night at Bobcat Park on Tuesday as the Buchholz Bobcats' baseball team (16-6) hosted the Belleview Rattlers (8-13) on senior night, which honored the Bobcats' pair of four-year seniors.

While senior night is special for every high school athlete, few can say that they had as special of a night as Buchholz's two veterans, John Williams and Ty Robertson.

When all was said and done, the Bobcats' 6-0 shutout win over the Rattlers was simply icing on the cake.

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John Williams' first career hit goes for a home run

Buchholz senior John Williams has been a part of the Bobcats' baseball team since he was a freshman after first meeting Buchholz head coach Ron Brooks in the classroom.

"Johnny's great," Brooks said. "I got to teach him in one of my classes and just right away fell in love with the kid."

And it's obvious the feeling is mutual as Williams, who is developmentally disabled, has served as the team's manager for four years. Just as Williams is never far from the action on the baseball diamond, he also spends the fall on the sideline with the Bobcats' football program.

On Tuesday night, Williams was not only recognized alongside the program's other senior, but he also got to notch his first career hit in a Buchholz uniform in the bottom of the first inning.

After forcing Belleview to strand a pair of runners, Buchholz began its at-bat in ceremonial fashion as Brooks set up a tee on home plate, allowing Williams to push a grounder up the middle and notch an inside-the-park home run.

"Johnny practiced the day before... took some swings out there and was ready for the moment," Brooks said. "We're proud of him getting out there and having fun."

Ty Robertson comes up big

If there was ever a night for Robertson to post a career night, it was Tuesday night.

After being recognized ahead of the contest, Robertson was sure to leave a lasting impression on those who came out to celebrate him.

Robertson, who will be taking his talents to Hillsborough Community College next year, got the nod to start on the hill for the Bobcats and went on to tear through the Belleview lineup.

Following 5.0 innings on the mound, Robertson tallied nine strikeouts, while giving up five walks and three hits en route to the shutout.

"He's improved a ton on the mound, especially in the last few starts," Brooks said. "We're excited as he goes on to college and what he's able to do in his future."

And while the senior lefty eventually reached his max pitch count, which led to the Bobcats having to look to the bullpen, Robertson still found ways to make impacts in the win.

From the batter's box, Robertson went 1-for-3 with a leadoff single in the bottom of the fourth.

Meanwhile, taking his place in centerfield after being relieved by junior Scott Jones, Robertson notched a diving grab, forcing the Rattlers to open the sixth inning with a leadoff out.

"What a senior night for him," Brooks said. "It was great he got to showcase pitching, fielding, hitting. I just don't think you could ask for more from Ty and what he's done for us for four years."

Big hit, stranded runners prove to be difference

Heading into the sixth inning, Buchholz white-knuckled a 3-0 lead after junior Nick Taylor scored on a passed ball in the second, followed by sophomores Cooper Collins and Anthony Wilkie each scoring a run in the third after Belleview senior pitcher Brendan Ness gave up a pair of free bases with the bases loaded.

"A three-run lead is still a pretty tight game," said Brooks.

And fortunately for he and Bobcats, with a big shot off the bat of Wilkie, Buchholz was able to increase its lead two-fold in the bottom of the sixth as Wilkie sent a 1-0 offering over the right field wall, good for three RBIs.

"To get up six was huge," Brooks said. "That was a big swing in that moment."

While Wilkie's moonshot helped the Bobcats polish off the win, the Rattlers had plenty of opportunities to scratch runs across, but could never get the job done.

Through seven innings, Belleview stranded nine runners on base, of which five were in scoring position.

"We tend to not get a lot of hits, but every time you turn around, we've got guys in scoring position," Belleview's first-year head coach Jared Moseley said. "Just haven't been able to quite get the job done."

Leading the way for the Rattlers was senior Jackson Dennis, who led off for Belleview and went 2-for-4.

Looking ahead

The Buchholz Bobcats will look to continue riding their three-game win streak into their next game on Wednesday night when they host the Ocala Forest Wildcats, who beat them 11-1 a month ago. Buchholz will round out the week with a visit to Oakleaf on Thursday before turning its attention to the district tournament, where they'll host Tallahassee Leon on Tuesday at 6 p.m.

"For a young club, I think there's always a chance to get better," Brooks said. "But I really enjoyed the last couple of weeks because I think we are playing our best baseball... I think our kids are finally getting in a little groove."

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: High school baseball: Buchholz extends streak, gets big win on senior night