The Apopka Blue Darters took their spring break into the 2026 Florida League high school invitational and dropped games Tuesday and Wednesday to Western and Lyman. 

A cold and windy Wednesday night at Sanford Memorial Stadium brought a pitcher’s duel and late drama from the Blue Darters offense. 

Apopka head coach Scott Garland was happy with how his team played in the field but expressed a need to adapt to whatever the game brings. 

“Tonight was a complete 180 from last night, they came out and played their tails off,” Garland said, “Fantastic defense… we’ve got to continue to pitch and make routine plays, and you know the offense will come around. Unfortunately, the elements last two days with the wind blowing in as hard as it was it took us out of our game a little bit. But that’s no excuse.” 

Apopka posed as the away team in this neutral site matchup and struck out in order in the top of the first. 

Senior Jez Hamrick answered the Greyhound pitcher in the bottom half, inducing two groundouts and a strikeout, signaling the duel ahead. 

Hamrick collected the Darters first hit with a single to center but couldn’t score, as the game stayed scoreless until the fourth inning.  

On the mound, Hamrick struck out two batters in the second and picked off a runner at second base in the third.  

The offense left Nico Posluszny and Aiden Rieli in scoring position in the top of the third inning. 

Lyman finally put a run on the board in the fourth inning. After a single and a walk, Hamrick got a strikeout and induced a popout. On a ground ball fielded by Posluszny, the runner on second was seemingly tagged out on his way to third base, but the umpire called no tag and the runner safe at third base. This led to a line drive to left field and a 1-0 Greyhound lead. 

In the top of the fifth, JD Edge walked, but Apopka continued to struggle at the plate. Lyman capitalized in the bottom half after its first batter grounded out to third. Hamrick was pulled from the game and Rieli came on in relief for a second day in a row.  

Rieli induced a groundout, but a walk started a two-out rally. A single advanced the runner, then another to center field brought home a run to make it 2-0. Posluszny made a nice play at shortstop and stepped on second base for a force out to end the inning. 

The Blue Darters bats showed a jolt of life in the sixth inning after Bryce Doss opened with a walk. Collin Van Fleet drilled a ball deep in right-center field to move Doss to third. Tyler Spaid came up big at the plate when he drove a liner into left field to score the team’s first run of the game. Ty Livingston moved the runners over with a tough ground ball but was thrown out, and another groundout ended their short run. 

Rieli pitched a three up, three down sixth inning, and the Darters didn’t make it easy for Lyman in the seventh. A dropped third strike put Edge on first, and Posluszny worked a walk. The next two struck out, but Van Fleet took a pitch to the leg to load the bases. Lyman’s closer clinched the upset with a final strikeout.  

Garland felt good about the team’s performance as his players learn they can’t control what’s out of their hands. 

“We had one error, but that was because we’ve got to get used to the elements. After that, we shut it down. We were as good as we could be,” he said. “I feel like they got a run because of an umpire’s call. But you know what, it is what it is — you can’t control everything. You can only control what you can control. And I feel like we did that tonight. 

Western 8, Apopka 1 

During Tuesday’s game in Lyman against the Western Wildcats (Davie, FL), Apopka struggled to string together hits as the Wildcats capitalized with a five-run fifth inning to help seal their 8-1 victory. 

“I wasn’t very happy with game one,” Garland said. “I didn’t feel like we came out inspired and didn’t feel like we came out to play the baseball that we’re used to seeing.” 

Western led off the game with a single against starting pitcher Spaid, and another hit brought home a runner for the early lead. Hamrick, playing catcher, threw a runner out at second to end the frame. 

Apopka’s answer came in the bottom of the second inning when Van Fleet led off with a single to center. After Livingston reached on a fielder’s choice and stole second, Camron Pennock moved him to third off a grounder past third.  

A double steal worked to perfection when Pennock forced the throw to second, allowing Livingston to beat out the throw back to the plate. This tied the game at 1-1, but the Blue Darters offense fell silent the rest of the night. 

Western scored its next run in the top of the fourth after two runners got on via errors then scored off a single to make it 2-1. Apopka’s offense grounded into a double play in the bottom half. 

Another error and single led to a run from the Wildcats in the fifth, before a sixth inning explosion of five runs that featured three singles and a double. Rieli came in for relief and struck two out. 

Doss singled in the sixth and pinch hitter Skyler Lamb hit a line drive to right field in the seventh, but the Darters couldn’t rally and lost 8-1. 

Apopka plays again Thursday against St. Cloud, then finish off the tournament on Friday. 

“We’re gonna keep rolling the way we’ve been,” Garland said. “I love getting the younger guys involved, but these older guys have earned it. I got 11 seniors, and I’m happy with what we’re doing.”