The Santa Fe Raiders will take on the Eustis Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Santa Fe sitting on five straight victories and Eustis on 12.
Santa Fe is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Nature Coast Tech a 15-0 shutout. Considering the Raiders have won 18 contests by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Rylee Swilley made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over four innings pitched. She has been consistent: she hasn't given up more than one walk in six consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, Santa Fe let Maren Hornsby and Callie Blair run wild. Hornsby went 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Blair went 2-for-3 with four RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI Blair has posted since back in March of 2025. Madisen Crosby was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
Santa Fe hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in seven consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Eustis sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-0 win over Crystal River on Wednesday.
Crystal River's batters probably weren't too happy with Carson Roden, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 13 Ks (she gave up two walks).
On the hitting side, Eustis saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Adrianna Covino, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Eustis' victory bumped their record up to 20-6. As for Santa Fe, their win bumped their record up to 24-3.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Santa Fe has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.1 hits per game. However, it's not like Eustis struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Santa Fe was able to grind out a solid victory over Eustis when the teams last played back in May of 2019, winning 5-1. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
