The Ocoee Knights will venture away from home to take on the Freedom Patriots at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Ocoee took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They came out on top against University by a score of 9-4.
Peyton Neeley made a splash no matter where he played. He pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Neeley was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other pitching news, Bobby Judd looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.
Jaden Brown
| 02/13/26 vs University | 3 |
| 02/11/26 @ Edgewater | 0 |
| 02/09/26 vs East Ridge | 1 |
| 04/08/25 @ Edgewater | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ Lake Buena Vista | 1 |
| 03/13/25 @ Circle Christian | 3 |
Back at the plate, Jaden Brown was excellent, going 1-for-4 with three runs and one RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March of 2025. The team also got some help courtesy of Aiden Mojica, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Freedom). They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over Gateway on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Patriots in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won four in a row.
Like Ocoee, Freedom also got a great game from a two-way player: Blake Echols. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). Echols was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. That RBI marked the first that he has brought in this season.
In other pitching news, John Vacalopoulos looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.
Back at the plate, Freedom let Joel Santiago and Anthony Unruh run wild. Santiago got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three stolen bases and four runs, while Unruh went 2-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. That triple was Unruh's first of the season. Nolan Kliegl was another key player, going 4-for-5 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Freedom kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
The win got Freedom back to even at 2-2. As for Ocoee, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ocoee has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Freedom struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ocoee suffered a grim 9-2 defeat to Freedom when the teams last played back in February of 2025. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
