It'll be a Battle of the Birds when Menendez Falcons take on Fleming Island Golden Eagles at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Menendez is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Nease on Wednesday as Menendez made off with an 11-4 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Falcons considering their one-run performance the game before.
JR Norton made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over 6.2 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-5. That stolen base was his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Reeve Power, who scored two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Lucas Drake, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Fleming Island posted their closest victory since April 29, 2024 on Thursday. They won by a run and slipped past Middleburg 4-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Golden Eagles.
Like Menendez, Fleming Island also got a great game from a two-way player: Caden Swartz. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Swartz was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Swartz wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Kiley, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI.
Menendez's win ended an eight-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-6. As for Fleming Island, the victory was their first on the road , bumping their record up to 3-5.
Menendez came up short against Fleming Island in their previous matchup back in April of 2015, falling 5-1. Can Menendez avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
