Baseball Game Preview: Escambia County Blue Devils vs. W.S. Neal Eagles

Escambia County is 0-10 against W.S. Neal since March of 2020 but things could change on Friday. The Escambia County Blue Devils will square off against the W.S. Neal Eagles at 4:00 p.m. Escambia County has given up an average of 15.8 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.

Escambia County is headed into Friday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their ninth straight game dating back to last season on Thursday. They lost 17-2 to W.S. Neal. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since February 18, 2021, but that streak is no more.

For W.S. Neal's part, Blake Roberts was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Roberts has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Eli Stone, who scored four runs and stole Four bases. while going 3-for-4. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game. Another player making a difference was Easton Grace, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one triple, two RBI, and one double.

W.S. Neal always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .541. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in four consecutive matches.

W.S. Neal pushed their record up to 6-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.7 runs over those games. As for Escambia County, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-6.