The Pine Forest Eagles will venture away from home to challenge the Escambia Gators at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Pine Forest headed into their last contest having not scored more than two runs for eight straight, but L.E.A.D. Academy let them put that streak behind them. The Eagles blew past the Lions 17-7 on Thursday. The Eagles' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
AL Leatherwood made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one hit in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
Sthevens Coa Gamarra
| 04/03/25 @ L.E.A.D. Academy | 3 |
| 02/20/25 @ West Florida | 1 |
| 02/18/25 vs Central | 1 |
| 02/10/25 @ Navarre | 1 |
In other batting news, Sthevens Coa Gamarra and Caleb McWilliams did most of the damage at the plate: Coa Gamarra scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances, while McWilliams went a perfect 4-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those three stolen bases gave Coa Gamarra a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Trayvian Murdock, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Pine Forest always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .605. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Escambia came tearing into Tuesday's match with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Raiders. That's two games straight that the Gators have won by just one run.
Christian Stone made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Stone was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other pitching news, Escambia got a great performance from Parker Zareck as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 4.1 innings pitched.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Xavier Taylor, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
Escambia's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-5. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Pine Forest, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-19-1.
Pine Forest might still be hurting after the 11-0 defeat they got from Escambia when the teams last played back in March. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
