Softball Preview: Gulf Breeze Dolphins vs. Fort Walton Beach Vikings
Gulf Breeze is 9-1 against Fort Walton Beach since February of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Gulf Breeze Dolphins will be playing at home against the Fort Walton Beach Vikings at 6:00 p.m. Gulf Breeze's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Fort Walton Beach's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
On Thursday, Gulf Breeze faced Pace in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Gulf Breeze's rough 13-0 loss to Pace might stick with them for a while. Gulf Breeze has struggled against Pace recently, as their contest on Thursday was their sixth consecutive lost matchup.
Meanwhile, Fort Walton Beach's hitters rose to the challenge against a Yellowjackets pitching crew that boasted an average of only 3.14 points allowed on Thursday. Fort Walton Beach walked away with a 10-5 win over Woodford County. The victory was just what Fort Walton Beach needed coming off of a 15-4 defeat in their prior game.
Alyx Hall was incredible, going 3-for-3 with a home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Ava Smith, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, a triple, and an RBI.
Gulf Breeze's loss ended a 13-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 9-3. As for Fort Walton Beach, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matches, which provided a massive bump to their 10-8 record this season.
Fort Walton Beach's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Gulf Breeze has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Fort Walton Beach, though, as they've been averaging only 4.2. Will Gulf Breeze keep running through batters, or will Fort Walton Beach buck the trend?
Gulf Breeze took their win against Fort Walton Beach in their previous meeting back in February by a conclusive 10-3. Will Gulf Breeze repeat their success, or does Fort Walton Beach have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
