Resilient Douglas outlasts West Broward to return to state baseball final four
The Stoneman Douglas baseball team’s season has been all about resilience - on and off the field.
They showed just how much of it they have in their reserves again on Saturday.
The Eagles withstood West Broward’s counterpunch when it evened their best-of-3 Region 4-7A final series by winning the second game.
And they endured during the brutal heat that lingered over the six-plus hours it took to play a doubleheader.
In the end, Douglas was still standing and still marching toward its goal of extending its state-record state championship streak following its decisive 7-0 victory over the Bobcats in the third game.
“It’s just toughness. These guys really battled and weathered the storm,” Douglas coach Todd Fitz-Gerald said.
The Eagles (26-6) are headed back to Fort Myers to play in the state final four, and are looking to win their sixth consecutive state title and seventh overall. Douglas will face Oviedo Hagerty in a Class 7A state semifinal on Friday at Hammond Stadium at 7. Venice will take on Vero Beach in the other semifinal. The final will be played next Saturday at 5.
“For me to come through in that situation for my team is special,” sophomore second baseman Sean Torres said. “We went through a lot of adversity, but we have such great leaders and we just flushed that first game down the toilet and came out with more energy and won the (third) game.”
Fitz-Gerald and the Eagles have needed to be resilient beyond the baseball field this season as well. Fitz-Gerald’s wife, Colleen, was recently diagnosed with brain cancer, which has limited Fitz-Gerald’s ability to be with the team for extended periods of time as she undergoes treatment for her condition.
The team has set up multiple fundraisers including proceeds from certain concession sales at games, and a GoFundMe for Fitz-Gerald’s family, which has raised over $118,000 over the course of the season.
“I don’t even know if I’ll be able to make the trip over (to Fort Myers),” Fitz-Gerald said. “We’ll see what the times are. I’ve been gone all day today so I’m heading back now to see how she’s doing. She’s been better and she’s been watching our sons play. We’ve had a lot of support, which has been good.”
Torres was one of the examples of Douglas’ gutsy effort Saturday.
In the bottom of the second inning, Torres belted a three-run home run off West Broward starter Everett Suazo, which landed just past the left field fence to give Douglas a 3-0 edge. The homer was the Eagles’ 36th of the season, which set a new team-high for a season.
Then it was the depth on the mound as senior Drew Boivin, who just recently returned from injury, pitched three scoreless innings and combined with sophomore Tyler Stertzbach (four scoreless innings) on the shutout.
“Drew hadn’t thrown more than 30 pitches before today, and he threw 60 and Stertzy threw strikes and that’s what you need,” Fitz-Gerald said.
Senior Cade Raley would add two more runs on an RBI single as part of a three-run third inning, and catcher Jackson Taylor drove in another on sac fly in the fourth.
West Broward (23-10) showed its own resilience after battling the elements valiantly as well.
The Bobcats threatened to end Douglas’ title run following an impressive 12-7 comeback win in the second game, which snapped the Eagles’ 32-game postseason winning streak.
After falling behind 6-1 after three innings, West Broward’s bats came alive in the bottom of the fourth. The Bobcats scored eight runs as A.J. Cruz hit the first of two home runs in the game. His three-run blast to right center put West Broward ahead for good following a game-tying two-run, ground rule double by Sergio Garcia.
But in the decisive game, the brutal conditions took their toll as starting catcher Manuel Sarcos was forced to exit the game in the third inning with severe leg cramps. After receiving medical attention, Sarcos had to be carried out of the dugout to get re-hydrated and did not return to the game.
West Broward coach Howard Stein said after the game that it was just cramps and that Sarcos was feeling better. But his absence left West Broward visibly deflated for the remainder of the contest.
“I don’t think it’s fair to ask these kids to play (a doubleheader) like this,” Fitz-Gerald said. “We should see if the state can change the rules on this. We’ve got guys cramping, it’s 108 degrees out there.
“But we’re just a tough group of kids, and we came back after giving it up in the first game. It says a lot about the guys that threw for us there at the end.”
This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 9:56 AM.
