Crestview and West Florida are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2019, but likely not for long. The Crestview Bulldogs will look to defend their home field on Friday against the West Florida Jaguars at 4:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Having struggled with five defeats in a row, Crestview turned things around against Milton on Friday. They had just enough and edged out the Panthers 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted since February 12th.
Kaleb Kompoltowicz
| 03/14/25 @ Milton | 8 |
| 02/12/25 @ Navarre | 5 |
| 03/22/24 @ Pine Forest | 5 |
| 04/11/24 @ Walton | 4 |
| 02/27/24 vs Navarre | 4 |
Kaleb Kompoltowicz spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up eight Ks. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, Crestview saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jace Jernigan, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. That's the most hits Jernigan has posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for West Florida, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Jay 3-2. The victory continues a trend for the Jaguars in their matchups with the Royals: they've now won six in a row.
Keelan Boyd was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over seven innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-2.
West Florida pushed their record up to 13-2 with the win, which was their 16th straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Crestview, their victory bumped their record up to 3-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Crestview has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like West Florida struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Crestview took their win against West Florida in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 7-0. Will Crestview repeat their success, or does West Florida have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
