Gio Rojas strikes out 15 as Stoneman Douglas blanks Alonso in Class 7A state semifinals

Stoneman Douglas on Saturday will be playing for its fifth straight state title

Stoneman Douglas lefty Gio Rojas fanned 15 and gave up just one hit in a Class 7A state semifinals win against Alonso / Joe Frisaro

FORT MYERS, FLORIDA – Gio Rojas put on a show in the Class 7A Florida state baseball semifinals on Friday afternoon.

Actually, Rojas stole the show, and turned in an epic playoff performance.

The junior left-hander tossed a one-hit shutout, striking out 15 in the process, to pace Marjory Stoneman Douglas in its 5-0 victory over Alonso at Hammond Stadium.

To those who follow Douglas baseball, the performance was simply Gio being Gio. Strikeouts are common for Rojas, who even has the letter "K" proudly displayed on his glove.

A 2026 Class commit to the University of Miami, Rojas continues to build a case that he will eventually be a first-round talent.

In command from the start, Rojas ran his fastball up to 97 mph on at least one scout’s radar guard. According to Statcast tracking in the stadium, Rojas’ fastball topped at 95.6 mph. Whatever reading you choose to believe, Rojas’ fastball had plenty of giddy-up.

And when Rojas wasn’t throwing heat, the southpaw kept the Alonso hitters off-balance with a wipeout slider.

With the win, Douglas (30-2) advances to the Class 7A state title game on Saturday against the winner of Friday’s Hagerty-Jupiter game.

Because Douglas is the top seed in the class, it will be the home team.

At state for Douglas is a shot at history. The Eagles have won four straight state championships.

Douglas players and fans are sporting “Drive for Five” T-shirts in Fort Myers. If the Eagles bring another title back home to Parkland, they will be the first team in Florida history to win five consecutive baseball championships.

The lone hit Alonso (21-13) came with one out in the fifth inning on Joshua Abrahante’s line-drive single to center field.

The game ended, fitting, with Rojas notching his 15th strikeout, on his 97th pitch.

Douglas’ offense provided enough run support to allow Rojas to keep blowing pitches by over-matched hitters.

In the first inning, the Eagles manufactured a run without a hit. Bennett Gary led off with a walk, and he scored from first on two throwing errors on a botched pickoff attempt.

Erick Torres had two hits and a run scored for Douglas. Lorenzo Laurel, Drew Freeman, Cade Raley and Jake Rizzo each added RBIs.

Alonso starter Julian Batista pitched four innings, giving up four earned runs with four strikeouts.