The Paxon School For Advanced Studies Golden Eagles are taking a road trip to take on the Atlantic Coast Stingrays at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Paxon School For Advanced Studies sitting on seven straight victories and Atlantic Coast on 13.
Paxon School For Advanced Studies had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt First Coast on Wednesday. Paxon School For Advanced Studies' pitcher stepped up to hand First Coast a 10-0 shutout. Considering the Golden Eagles have won seven matches by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Hayley Hinds made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in hits (zero). She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaela Palmer, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI. Another player making a difference was Maleah Rouse, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Paxon School For Advanced Studies kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Atlantic Coast won against Mandarin on Tuesday with five runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. Atlantic Coast walked away with a 5-2 win over Fletcher.
Morgan Brown spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on five hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Maggie Moody and Skye Deans did most of the damage at the plate: Moody scored a run while going 3-for-4, while Deans scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Rylee Ratti also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Paxon School For Advanced Studies' victory was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-1. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 10.2 runs this season. As for Atlantic Coast, their record now sits at 13-1.
Both Paxon School For Advanced Studies and Atlantic Coast just can't seem to miss. Paxon School For Advanced Studies has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 12.4 hits per game. However, it's not like Atlantic Coast struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Paxon School For Advanced Studies took their victory against Atlantic Coast when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Paxon School For Advanced Studies since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
