Baseball Game Preview: Creekside Knights vs. Nease Panthers

Creekside is 8-2 against Nease since March of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Creekside Knights will host the Nease Panthers at 6:30 p.m. Creekside's pitching crew has only allowed 4.1 runs per game this season, so Nease's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

If Creekside beats Nease with five runs on Thursday, it's going to be the squad's new lucky number: they've won their past two matches with that exact score. Creekside walked away with a 5-1 win over North Marion on Wednesday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Knights.

Gavin Duprey

Earned Runs

02/27/25 @ Trinity Christian Academy	4
03/06/25 vs Bartram Trail	1
02/22/25 vs Hillgrove	1

Gavin Duprey tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Creekside is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-5 otherwise.

On the hitting side, Nicholas Romeu and Connor Balazic did most of the damage at the plate: Romeu went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI, while Balazic went 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Parker Morton was another key player, scoring a run and stealing Two bases. while going 2-for-4.

Creekside lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Nease). They blew past Fleming Island 13-3 on Wednesday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Panthers as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.

The win got Creekside back to even at 6-6. As for Nease, their victory bumped their record up to 7-8.

Creekside came out on top in a nail-biter against Nease in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. Will Creekside repeat their success, or does Nease have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.