Baseball Game Preview: Escambia Academy Cougars vs. Jackson Academy Eagles

The Escambia Academy Cougars will head out to face off against the Jackson Academy Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Escambia Academy has given up an average of 8.8 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Escambia Academy and Sparta Academy, and Sparta Academy kept the tradition alive. Escambia Academy fell 12-7 to Sparta Academy last Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Jackson Academy fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Southern Academy on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 15-14. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Thursday (11), the Eagles still had to take the loss.

Willie Dixon and Jacob Criswell stepped up to the plate in a big way. Dixon scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Criswell scored three runs while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances. Dixon is becoming a predictor of Jackson Academy's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 3-4 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Hunter Hillman, who scored three runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.

Even though they lost, Jackson Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .521. This was only their second loss (out of six games) when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Escambia Academy has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-7 record this season. That patch can't be blamed on the team's hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. Jackson Academy's loss was their third straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 6-5.

Escambia Academy took their victory against Jackson Academy when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 17-8. The rematch might be a little tougher for Escambia Academy since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.