Baseball Game Preview: Destin Sharks vs. North Bay Haven Academy Buccaneers

The Destin Sharks will venture away from home to face off against the North Bay Haven Academy Buccaneers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Destin will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each matchup than the last.

On Monday, Destin didn't have quite enough to beat Franklin County and fell 8-6. That's two games in a row now that the Sharks have lost by exactly two runs.

Destin saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Vance Kirby, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. McCarver Dahlman also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

Meanwhile, North Bay Haven Academy got the win against Hooper Academy on Wednesday by a conclusive 15-8.

Jack Peaden made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his six plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double.

In other batting news, North Bay Haven Academy got a massive performance out of Waylon King, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave King a new career-high in RBI (three). Treygan Brannon was another key player, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.

North Bay Haven Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in three consecutive games.

North Bay Haven Academy has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. Destin's defeat was their fifth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 4-8.

Destin beat North Bay Haven Academy 7-4 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Destin since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.