“We 10-run ruled Bishop Kenny at Kenny,” Head Baseball Coach Ronnie Gray said. “This is a front-page story. It’s the first time in their program’s history.”

Suwannee traveled to Bishop Kenny Tuesday, April 18 and came home on top of the world with a 16-6 win in six innings. Yes, Suwannee 10-run ruled Bishop Kenny at their place.

“Bishop Kenny is arguably the state’s top prep program and boasts some of the most success in baseball of any team in state history,” Gray said.

With 19 district championships and 10 trips to the state final four and a the 2003 state championship along with a lengthy list of college and major league players that would take two pages to cover, Bishop Kenny has the stats and the record to prove they are one of the best.

Suwannee and Bishop Kenny have now played four times since 2001 and the overall series record is 2-2, with Suwannee evening up the series with the win Tuesday night.

Suwannee first met this legendary program in 2001 when junior left-hander Hunter Abercrombie defeated the then number-five ranked team in the nation on a six hitter in the first round of the playoffs. This Bishop Kenny team would come one run from reaching the final four that season.

The next two meetings between Suwannee and Bishop Kenny would occur last season with Kenny taking both games. The first was played at Suwannee High in an 11-10 slugfest. They faced off again in Jacksonville with Suwannee losing 6-5 in an extra-inning game.

This time there would be no late inning heroics, according to Gray. Suwannee took all the suspense out of the game early. The Bulldogs scored early and often and broke the game open in the fourth. With one run in the first and three in second, one in the third and a nine-run fourth that put the game out of reach for BK. Suwannee took a 14-4 lead into the fifth. Kenny would squeeze in a homerun making the score 14-5 to extend the game one more inning. Suwannee answered with two runs in the top of sixth and held Kenny scoreless in the bottom to assure the 10-run ruled shortened game.

“There is no question this is one of those signature wins we talk about trying to get and it will resonate throughout the state,” Gray said. “They (the players) did an outstanding job on mentally preparing and physically playing the game.”

Offensively, Suwannee banged out 19 hits off Bishop Kenny pitching. Billy Moran went 4 for 4 with four runs scored, a bases clearing triple and four RBIs.

Rheed Baldwin also went 4 for 4 with two runs scored, a double and his 10th homerun of the year a three-run shot in the nine-run fourth inning.

Gabe Galloway went 2 for 4 with a run scored and a double. Zack Davis had a big night going 3 for 5 and Taylor Abercrombie would have another multiple hit game going 2 for 4 with a run scored and two RBIs.

“We were looking for some momentum at this time of year and to come into this environment and play this well is exactly the kind of things you look for to push you this time of year,” Gray said.

On the mound Mark Radford a tough luck loser a season ago in the extra inning game at Kenny would redeem himself working four innings allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out three. Moran came in as relief of Radford in the fifth and allowed one run over the two innings to secure the win.

“I did not think our pitchers threw well at all, but some how it was enough,” Gray said. “Our pitching staff has the challenge of trying to find the success we experienced early if we are to expect to continue playing at

this time of year, they understand this and have very clear understanding of what I am talking about and they will work as hard as they can no question. But in a win like this all you can really say is great job regardless.”