The Gulf Breeze Dolphins will head out on the road to challenge the Ponte Vedra Sharks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Gulf Breeze's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Ponte Vedra's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Gulf Breeze heads in on the heels of a playoff matchup on Thursday. They fell 4-0 to Niceville.
Meanwhile, Ponte Vedra made easy work of Beachside on Wednesday and carried off an 11-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Sharks, who have now won 12 games by six runs or more so far this season.
Aoife Weaver made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in February. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
In other batting news, Ponte Vedra let Mia Fitzpatrick and Taylor Scribner run wild. Fitzpatrick got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Scribner went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI Scribner has posted since back in March. Addison Siebenaler was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
Ponte Vedra always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Beachside only posted an OBP of .296.
The win made it two in a row for Ponte Vedra and bumps their season record up to 17-8. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 2 run in those games. As for Gulf Breeze, their loss dropped their record down to 15-11.
Ponte Vedra's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Gulf Breeze has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Ponte Vedra, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.4 strikeouts. Will Gulf Breeze keep running through batters, or will the Sharks buck the trend? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
