A feisty cat fight will be fought as Buchholz Bobcats duke it out with Palmetto Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Buchholz is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
Buchholz is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Trinity Christian Academy, who was ranked 19th at the time (Buchholz was ranked eighth). Buchholz beat Trinity Christian Academy on Tuesday by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 5-3.
Wyatt Clarke looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Blake Brewer, who scored a run while going 1-for-3. Roen Kresak also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, Palmetto fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Sarasota on Thursday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Sailors by a score of 8-7.
Clayton Williams was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed five innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, Keaton Love was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs while going 3-for-5. Landon Henderson was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4.
Buchholz's victory was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Palmetto, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.
Palmetto's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Buchholz has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .442. It's a different story for Palmetto, though, as they've only averaged .330. Will they be able to contain Buchholz's hitters?
Everything went Buchholz's way against Palmetto when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as Buchholz made off with a 7-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Buchholz since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
