Escambia has gone 8-2 against Northview recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Escambia Gators will head out on the road to face off against the Northview Chiefs at 5:00 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Escambia took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 9-5 victory over Fort Walton Beach. The Gators haven't had any issues with the Vikings recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Colin Hanks was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Hanks was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 4-for-4 with two RBI.
Marcus Days
| 02/18/25 vs Fort Walton Beach | 3 |
| 04/30/24 vs Booker T. Washington | 2 |
| 02/14/25 @ West Florida | 1 |
| 05/02/24 vs Fort Walton Beach | 1 |
| 04/23/24 vs Fort Walton Beach | 1 |
In other batting news, Escambia got a big performance out of Marcus Days, who scored three runs while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. Those three runs gave Days a new career-high. Xavier Taylor was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Escambia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fort Walton Beach only posted an OBP of .323.
Meanwhile, Northview earned a 6-1 victory over W.S. Neal on Monday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Chiefs.
Braynt Mason spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up ten Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Brady Smith was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Grayden Sheffield also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Escambia's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 2-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs over those games. As for Northview, the victory got them back to even at 2-2.
Northview's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Escambia hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having hit 0 of their hits per game. It's a different story for Northview, though, as they've only hit 0 of their hits this season. Will they be able to contain Escambia's hitters?
Escambia came out on top in a nail-biter against Northview in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 5-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for Escambia since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
