Baseball Preview: Escambia Gators vs. Pensacola Catholic Crusaders
Escambia is on a three-game streak of home wins, while Pensacola Catholic is on a four-game streak of away wins (dating back to last season): one of those streaks is about to end. The Escambia Gators will take on the Pensacola Catholic Crusaders at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Friday, everything went Escambia's way against Pine Forest as Escambia made off with a 13-4 win.
Christian Stone made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also only allowed one walk). Stone has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. Stone was even better at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Escambia let Clayton Sanders and Anthony Hall loose on the outfield. Sanders scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-4, while Hall scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Hall has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Mcvay, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Pensacola Catholic got the win against Lincoln on Saturday by a conclusive 12-5.
Pensacola Catholic also got a great performance from Jackson Kohr as he tossed six innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits.
At the plate, Chris Rembert was a standout: he scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Gavin Howard was another key contributor, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Escambia's victory bumped their record up to 15-3. As for Pensacola Catholic, their win bumped their record up to 17-1.
Tuesday's contest might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Escambia has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .434. However, it's not like Pensacola Catholic struggles in that department as they've averaged .509. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Escambia might still be hurting after the 9-1 defeat they got from Pensacola Catholic when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Thankfully for Escambia, Will Krehely (who didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out eight over 5.2 innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
