Baseball Game Preview: Orange Park Raiders vs. Clay Blue Devils

Orange Park is 1-9 against Clay since March of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Raiders will challenge the Blue Devils at 6:00 p.m. Orange Park is coming into the contest hot, having won their last seven games.

Orange Park barely beat Stanton the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Raiders never let the Blue Devils get on the board and left with an 8-0 win on Tuesday.

Yaziel Del Valle was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two runs and one triple.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Devon Rail, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2025. Aiden Leonard also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

Meanwhile, after soaring to 12 runs the game before, Clay was a bit more limited in their game on Friday. They lost 12-0 to Jesuit. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Blue Devils, who until this matchup were averaging 4.06 runs allowed.

Orange Park's record now sits at 9-5. As for Clay, their loss dropped their record down to 8-8.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Orange Park has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Clay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Orange Park might still be hurting after the 7-1 defeat they got from Clay in their previous meeting back in February of 2025. Can the Raiders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.