Softball Game Preview: Pace Patriots vs. Jay Royals

Pace is on a seven-game streak of home wins (dating back to last season), while Jay is on a three-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. Pace will host Jay at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

While Pace's win against Niceville wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Pace never let Niceville get on the board and left with a 1-0 victory on Thursday. The win continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won eight in a row.

Niceville's batters probably weren't too happy with Hannah DeMarcus, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 33 Ks (she gave up a single walk). DeMarcus has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up a single earned run any time she's pitched this season.

On the hitting side, Pace's victory was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Grayson Cox, who went 2-for-5 with one stolen base. Laila Loomis also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Meanwhile, Jay won against Varsity Opponent on Thursday with eight runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. Jay beat Notre Dame Academy by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 8-6.

Pace's win bumped their record up to 10-0. As for Jay, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 10-0.

Pace was able to grind out a solid win over Jay in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, winning 5-2. Does Pace have another victory up their sleeve, or will Jay turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.