Pace is 9-1 against Navarre since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Patriots will take on the Raiders at 6:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Pace is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Crestview get on the board and left with an 8-0 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Patriots, who have now won four matches in a row.
Hannah DeMarcus
| 04/29/25 vs Crestview | 18 |
| 04/23/25 vs Milton | 18 |
| 04/21/25 @ Jay | 24 |
| 04/17/25 @ Tate | 16 |
| 04/15/25 vs Niceville | 16 |
| + 15 more games |
Crestview's batters probably weren't too happy with Hannah DeMarcus, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 18 Ks (she gave up a single walk). DeMarcus has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in 20 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Gracie Ueberroth, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Britten Kettler also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Pace was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Crestview only posted a batting average of .000.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Navarre, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Tate on Tuesday as they made off with a 10-1 win. The victory continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Aggies: they've now won three in a row.
Kayden Riddle spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Karsyn Riddle was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Lily Weaver, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Navarre pushed their record up to 13-8 with the win, which was their third straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Pace, their record is now 19-3.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Pace hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.7 home runs per game. However, it's not like Navarre struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Pace was able to grind out a solid win over Navarre when the teams last played on April 1st, winning 13-9. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
