The South Walton Seahawks will head out on the road to take on the Pensacola Catholic Crusaders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. South Walton is coming into the game hot, having won their last seven games.
South Walton's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Wednesday, when they got past Chiles' usually-dominant pitching crew. The Seahawks put the hurt on the Timberwolves with a sharp 11-4 win. The result was nothing new for the Seahawks, who have now won 13 matches by six runs or more so far this season.
The team relied heavily on Braxton Varnes, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Cameron Tipton-Thomas, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
South Walton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .595. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Chiles only posted an OBP of .429.
Meanwhile, Pensacola Catholic gave up the first runs last Saturday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Hillsboro, sneaking past 3-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Crusaders have posted since March 12, 2024.
Caige Bratcher looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Colton Guillot was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Pensacola Catholic is undefeated when Guillot posts two or more stolen bases, but 7-8 otherwise. Carter McCammon was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Pensacola Catholic has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-8 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. As for South Walton, they pushed their record up to 17-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home.
South Walton's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's game. The Seahawks have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Pensacola Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will South Walton continue to outrun the ball?
Everything went South Walton's way against Pensacola Catholic in their previous meeting back in February, as South Walton made off with a 13-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Seahawks since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
