Baseball Preview: Crestview Bulldogs vs. Walton Braves
The Crestview Bulldogs will head out on the road to square off against the Walton Braves at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Crestview's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Walton's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Last Tuesday, Crestview didn't have quite enough to beat Niceville and fell 2-1. Crestview has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Anthony St. Vincent spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on six hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in six consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Crestview saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jaden Appleby, who went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Meanwhile, Walton scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They came out on top against Bay by a score of 14-9. The win made it back-to-back victories for Walton.
Jackson Clemmons was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Clemmons was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Mason Clark was incredible, scoring two runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Steele Marshall was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
Crestview's defeat dropped their record down to 9-8. As for Walton, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-9 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Crestview has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Walton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Crestview couldn't quite finish off Walton when the teams last played back in April of 2023 and fell 9-7. Can Crestview avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
