The Creekside Knights will take on the Beachside Barracudas at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Creekside is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
Creekside is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Lowndes, who was ranked eighth in their home state at the time (Creekside was ranked 21st). The Knights won by a run and slipped past the Vikings 2-1.
Matthew Bysheim spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Parker Morton
| 04/02/25 vs Lowndes | 1 |
| 03/27/25 vs Clay | 1 |
| 03/26/25 @ St. Joseph Academy | 1 |
At the plate, Creekside's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Parker Morton, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one RBI. Morton has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
Meanwhile, while Beachside put up some runs on Wednesday, the same can't be said for Fleming Island. The Barracudas put the hurt on the Golden Eagles with a sharp 6-0 victory.
Beachside also got a great performance from Riley Hofrichter as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Those 12 strikeouts gave Hofrichter a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Brennan Monaco was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-2. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jason Gillespie, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Creekside pushed their record up to 14-7 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 3.25 runs across that stretch. As for Beachside, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-14 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Creekside has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Beachside struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Creekside took their victory against Beachside in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-3 score. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Barracudas have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
