The Northside - Jacksonville Monarchs will head out on the road to square off against the Heide Trask Titans at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Northside - Jacksonville made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Jacksonville, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Northside - Jacksonville was the clear victor by a 9-2 margin over Jacksonville on Thursday. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Monarchs as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Jariel Santos was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Mason Appleman
| 03/20/25 vs Jacksonville | 4 |
| 04/16/24 vs J.H. Rose | 2 |
| 04/09/24 vs Jacksonville | 2 |
| 03/19/25 vs New Bern | 1 |
| 03/12/25 @ Dixon | 1 |
In other batting news, Mason Appleman was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 4-for-4. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Peyton Mayhew, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Northside - Jacksonville was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .423. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Jacksonville only posted a batting average of .235.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Heide Trask made sure to put some runs up on the board against Spring Creek on Monday. Heide Trask put the hurt on Spring Creek with a sharp 14-1 victory. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Titans' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Heide Trask also got a great performance from Tanner Sparkman as he struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit.
On the hitting side, Brantley Lunsford was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He also hit a triple, marking his first of the season. Alex Monroe was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-5.
Northside - Jacksonville's win was their first in the conference, bumping their conference record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 2-5. As for Heide Trask, their victory ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 2-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Northside - Jacksonville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Heide Trask struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Northside - Jacksonville beat Heide Trask 9-5 in their previous matchup on March 4th. The rematch might be a little tougher for Northside - Jacksonville since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
