Baseball Preview: Escambia Gators vs. Pine Forest Eagles
The Escambia Gators will head out on the road to challenge the Pine Forest Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Escambia can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent game on Tuesday. They blew past Harrison County 13-4. Winning may never get old, but Escambia sure is getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Christian Stone made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (he also only allowed one walk). Stone has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Stone was even better at the plate, going 4-for-5 with a home run, three runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Ethan Pardue was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last four games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Anthony Hall, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Pine Forest scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They never let Pensacola onto the board and left with a 16-0 win. The victory was a breath of fresh air for Pine Forest as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Like Escambia, Pine Forest also got a great game from a two-way player: Connor Baer. He didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Baer was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Colton Swiers was incredible, firing off two triples, three runs, and four RBI while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Dakota Knapp, who scored two runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-2.
Escambia has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won 11 of their last 12 contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season. As for Pine Forest, their record now sits at 5-9.
Pine Forest's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Escambia hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .341. It's a different story for Pine Forest, though, as they've only averaged .250. Will they be able to contain Escambia's hitters?
Escambia came up short against Pine Forest in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, falling 5-2. Thankfully for Escambia, Ethan Thomas (who struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
