Parker is 0-8 against Sandalwood since March of 2015 but things could change on Friday. The Parker Braves will challenge the Sandalwood Saints at 4:00 p.m. Parker is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.7 runs per game this season.
Tuesday just wasn't the day for Parker's offense. They lost 10-0 to Paxon School For Advanced Studies on Tuesday. The Braves have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Parker saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Isaac Ochs, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Sandalwood). They blew past Orange Park 13-5 on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Saints in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won five in a row.
Bane Barker made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Sandalwood let Grayson Thornton and Trent Baskins run wild. Thornton scored a run while going 2-for-2, while Baskins went 2-for-5 with three RBI and one stolen base. The team also got some help courtesy of Noah Salazar, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1.
Parker's loss dropped their record down to 6-5. As for Sandalwood, their win bumped their record up to 6-4.
Sandalwood's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Parker hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .340. It's a different story for Sandalwood, though, as they've only averaged .258. Will they be able to contain Parker's hitters?
Parker might still be hurting after the 11-0 defeat they got from Sandalwood in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can Parker avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
