The Florence Falcons will take on The First Academy Royals in a tournament on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Florence is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victor by a 13-1 margin over Decatur on Monday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Falcons have posted since March 25, 2024.
Cade Davis
| 02/24/25 @ Decatur | 1 |
| 02/18/25 vs Lawrence County | 1 |
| 02/17/25 @ Russellville | 0 |
Cade Davis looked comfortable as he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Auston Klotzbach was incredible, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4. He also put up three hits, which were his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Avery Thead, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Florence was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, everything went The First Academy's way against South Dade on Saturday as The First Academy made off with a 9-3 victory. The result was nothing new for the Royals, who have now won three contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Josh Garcia looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kinon Bastian, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. Austin Pierzynski was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
The win made it two in a row for The First Academy and bumps their season record up to 4-1. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 9 runs. As for Florence, the victory was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 2-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Florence has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like The First Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Florence came out on top in a nail-biter against The First Academy in their previous matchup back in March of 2018, sneaking past 10-9. The rematch might be a little tougher for Florence since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
