The Pine Forest Trojans will face off against the Jack Britt Buccaneers at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Pine Forest will be looking to extend their current three-game winning streak.
Pine Forest's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They came out on top against Overhills by a score of 4-0.
Ryan Temple and Ja'Lynn Thomas were a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Temple struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Thomas didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Temple has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. At the plate, Temple scored a run while going 3-for-4, while Thomas went 2-for-4 with two runs and one triple.
In other batting news, J.J. Watson was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base and two RBI. Landen Thompson was another key player, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
Pine Forest kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, Jack Britt made sure to put some runs up on the board against Seventy-First on Tuesday. The Buccaneers were the clear victors by a 23-0 margin over the Falcons. Considering the Buccaneers have won six matchups by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Pine Forest, Jack Britt also got a great game from a pair of two-way players: TJ Palmer. Throwing, Palmer tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Alex Jones pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Palmer also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Jack Britt is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-6 otherwise. At bat, Palmer scored three runs while going 1-for-3, while Jones scored a run while going 2-for-2. Those three runs gave Palmer a new career-high.
In other batting news, Cameron Byers was a standout: he went a perfect 5-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. He has become a key player for Jack Britt: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-6 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Pierce Strickland, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI and two runs.
Pine Forest's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Jack Britt, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season.
Pine Forest came out on top in a nail-biter against Jack Britt in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, sneaking past 8-7. Will the Trojans repeat their success, or do the Buccaneers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
