DeLand, Fla. - The Winter Garden Squeeze’s 2025 season came to a heartbreaking end as they lost a nail-biter 3-2 in the Wild Card game against the DeLand Suns at Melching Field on Monday.

The game, between the fifth seeded Squeeze (13-20) and fourth seeded DeLand Suns (14-19), was winner take all to decide who moves on to the semifinals of the 2025 FCSL Playoffs to take on the number one seed Sanford River Rats in a best two out of three for a chance to play in the championship series.

It was a high intensity atmosphere as both squads brought forth their best effort on both sides of the plate and fought tooth and nail until the very end.

Defense and strong pitching told the story, as neither the Squeeze or Suns budged for the majority of the game in what was the highest stakes matchup to date for both.

Through the first four innings, both sides were retired within four batters as starting pitchers Isaac Sewell (Arkansas State) and Mattox Meeks (Florida Gulf Coast) had an incredible duel on the mound.

Sewell pitched five strong innings, only allowing three hits, one earned run, two walks and striking out four batters in his final body of work of the summer for the Squeeze.

Meeks held down the fort as well for the Suns, throwing five and two thirds frames of his own. He gave up six hits, two earned runs, a walk and fanned three batters in the win for DeLand.

Zacharias Walker (Hillsborough CC) brought in the first run of the 2025 postseason when he forced a fielder’s choice and scored Isaac Incinelli (St Johns River State) to put the visitors up 1-0 in the top of the second inning.

As previously mentioned, both teams were  at their best on the defensive side of things. In the bottom of the fourth, Walker turned one of the best putouts of the year for Winter Garden after catching a flyout in left field and taking advantage of a runner who was too far off of first base and throwing him out to force a 7-3 double play.

The momentum from the huge defensive play carried over into the fifth inning on offense for the Squeeze. Braeden Weckman (Snead State 2025) hit an RBI single into outfield grass and drove in Walker to extend the lead to 2-0 halfway through the contest.

Unfortunately for the visiting Squeeze, that would be their final run scored of the 2025 season after the Suns started their comeback in the very next frame. 

With the bases loaded in the home half of the fifth inning, two-way standout William Rollings (Undecided) hit a ground ball into a fielder’s choice that allowed Holden Brauner (Undecided) to cross home plate and cut the deficit to 2-1 with four innings left to play.

A scoring drought fell upon the Wild Card game, as neither squad scored again for the next two and a half innings.

That ended in the bottom half of the eighth inning when the Suns caught their second win and brought two base runners home. In another bases loaded situation, Daniel Baez (Florida Atlantic) took advantage of a full count and walked, making way for Osmin Melendez (Undecided) to advance from third base and tie the game at 2-2 in the penultimate inning. Then, Michael O’Brien changed the momentum of the game and batted in the go-ahead run after hitting into a double play that allowed Rollings to round the bases and give DeLand its first lead of the game at 3-2 with one frame left to play.

In the ninth and final inning, the Squeeze put two runners on base with two outs, but could not capitalize. An unassisted groundout to third ended the game and the season for Winter Garden.

The Squeeze finish 2025 with a total record of 13-21 after a hard fought campaign in a new home field. They’ll be back in May of 2026, looking for a different outcome.

Rickie Potts II (Syracuse University)