The South Walton Seahawks will face off against the Arnold Marlins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
South Walton's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They were the clear victors by an 18-0 margin over Edgewood Academy. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Seahawks.
Cameron Tipton-Thomas and Nathan Whitney were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Tipton-Thomas tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Whitney tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024. At bat, Tipton-Thomas scored two runs while getting on base in both of his plate appearances, while Whitney went 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
In other pitching news, Charlie Willcox looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in February.
Back at the plate, Frank Wells was a standout: he got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Jackson Perkins, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
South Walton was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .545. The last time their batting average was this high was back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, Arnold had already won five in a row and they went ahead and made it six on Monday. Everything went their way against the Tornadoes as they made off with a 14-3 win. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since April 11, 2023, but that streak is no more.
Nico Landavazo looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Maddox Bean was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (two). Another player making a difference was Nathan Neeley, who scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
South Walton's victory bumped their record up to 12-3. As for Arnold, their win bumped their record up to 13-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. South Walton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Arnold struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went South Walton's way against Arnold in their previous meeting on March 6th, as South Walton made off with an 11-1 victory. Does South Walton have another victory up their sleeve, or will Arnold turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
