Choctaw baseball‘s historic season will continue after the Indians outlasted a scrappy St. Augustine squad in a three-game regional series that tested every ounce of their resilience.

• The Indians dropped Game 1 at home before bouncing back with wins in Games 2 and 3 to punch their ticket to the Elite 8 in the 2026 FHSAA Baseball State Championships.

Game 1: St. Augustine 3, Choctaw 2

The opener was a chess match between Choctaw’s Jack Marracco and St. Augustine’s Kaiden Blakney.

Choctaw struck first when Carter Marracco opened with a single, advanced to third and scored on a sacrifice ground out from Seth Young. From there, runs were scarce as the Indians struggled to figure out Blakney.

The Yellowjackets answered in the third. Jack Marracco walked Carson Keath and Drew O’Quinn before Josiah Vargas doubled to score Keath. St. Augustine extended its lead in the fifth when Keath singled, O’Quinn was hit by a pitch and Maddux Dowler doubled to plate both runners.

Choctaw appeared to push another run across in the fifth on a sacrifice ground out from Young that seemed to score Blake Peters, but in a controversial call that would overshadow the game, the umpires ruled Peters failed to tag up.

Isaiah Rohn homered in the sixth to pull the Indians within 3-2. Garret Meggs came on in relief for Marracco, and Kevin Willis relieved Blakney, but St. Augustine held on for the 3-2 win.

Game 2: Choctaw 9, St. Augustine 4

Game 2 was originally scheduled for Friday, but heavy thunderstorms rolling in earlier than expected forced the game to Saturday afternoon. That’s when the Indians came alive.

Drew O’Quinn got the start and opened by allowing a single to Carter Marracco and walks to Jack Marracco and Trevor Camden. Jordan Figueroa followed with an RBI single that scored both Marracco brothers, and Rohn doubled to plate Camden and Figueroa for a 4-0 lead. After a walk to John Brown, O’Quinn was pulled in favor of his brother, Bronson O’Quinn, who stopped the bleeding.

The Indians lost Rohn in the third when he broke his wrist attempting to evade a tag, ending his season and high school career.

Choctaw added to its lead in the fourth when Peters reached third on a series of errors and scored on a balk by Bronson O’Quinn.

The Yellowjackets got on the board on a Brandt Hudgins double followed by a Blakney RBI single. The Indians answered in the fifth as Camden doubled, Figueroa singled and Anthony Kirby, running courtesy for Camden, scored on an error by Hudgins. Figueroa came home on a sacrifice fly from Maddox Gentry to make it 7-1.

In the sixth, Young singled, Figueroa doubled and Jack Harrell hit a sacrifice fly that scored Jayden Rowell, running courtesy for Young.

St. Augustine mounted a rally in the bottom of the sixth on a Blakney RBI single that scored Willis and a hit-by-pitch on Drew O’Quinn that forced in another run with the bases loaded. With the bases still loaded and the Yellowjackets threatening, Choctaw turned to Parker Powell in relief of Camden. Powell answered with the biggest pitch of the day, striking out the three-hole hitter Vargas to escape the jam. He went 1.1 innings, struck out three and stranded all three inherited runners.

Choctaw added insurance in the top of the seventh on a Carter Marracco sacrifice ground out that scored Peters. Powell allowed a home run to Dowler and hit Willis with a pitch in the bottom half but closed out the win.

Game 3: Choctaw 4, St. Augustine 1

Rohn had been in line to start Game 3, but with the broken wrist — and with Meggs having reached 35 pitches in Game 1, making him ineligible to start — the Indians turned to Gentry, who had not started a game all year.

Gentry delivered the game of his life, pitching a complete game in another pitcher’s duel, this one against Dowler.

Choctaw broke through in the second when two Yellowjacket errors put Brown and Peters aboard. Brown scored on a wild pitch, and Peters came home on an RBI single by Harrell. In the third, Camden singled and Figueroa launched a home run that put the Indians up 4-0 — a hole the Yellowjackets couldn’t climb out of.

“It was awesome. As soon as he hit it, I was like wow, that one’s smashed. It was really cool to see him jog around the bases,” Choctaw head coach David Weber said.

“Right off the bat, knew it was gone, didn’t even feel it hit the bat to be honest,” Figueroa added.

Gentry allowed just one run, an RBI single by Dowler in the fourth that scored Seely Johnson. He finished with five hits allowed and seven strikeouts.

“That was the definition of elite,” Weber said.

“I was just ready to pitch and ready to go,” Gentry said.

The series win sends Choctaw to the Elite 8 after a regional run that tested the Indians’ makeup.

“That’s really the definition of our team. Toughness, fight and grit. They don’t quit. They’re tough as nails,” Weber said.

“Just as a team, we don’t let outside noise affect us. We just go out there and play our game. That’s what we do,” Gentry added.

“Just shows the guts we have as a team and how we go together and how we just build together,” Figueroa said.

Choctaw will wait until Sunday to learn its Elite 8 opponent. The Indians will host the winner of Clay-Escambia. Clay won Game 1 5-0, but Games 2 and 3 were moved to Sunday due to weather.

“Back here again. Back home again. We’re fired up to get the home crowd in here,” Weber said.