The St. Augustine Yellow Jackets will square off against the Tocoi Creek Toros at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Thursday, St. Augustine needed a bit of extra time to put away Englewood. They had just enough and edged out the Rams 4-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Yellow Jackets.
Xavier Ahr
| 03/06/25 vs Englewood | 6 |
| 03/01/24 vs Seabreeze | 3 |
| 02/28/25 vs Columbia | 2 |
| 02/14/25 vs Episcopal School of Jacksonville | 2 |
| 02/25/25 @ Bishop Snyder | 1 |
Xavier Ahr made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run. That home run marked the first that he launched this season.
In other batting news, Maddux Dowler was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run and two RBI.
St. Augustine lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Tocoi Creek won against Menendez on Tuesday with eight runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. Tocoi Creek beat Nease by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 8-1. The Toros might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by seven runs or more this season.
Like St. Augustine, Tocoi Creek also got a great game from a two-way player: Nate Wade. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and not a single walk). Wade has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other pitching news, Brayden Harris looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Mikey Bergamo and Chase Pate did most of the damage at the plate: Bergamo scored two runs and stole Three bases. while going 2-for-4, while Pate scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Bergamo is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Jackson Sizemore, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Tocoi Creek's win was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for St. Augustine, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Augustine has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Tocoi Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Augustine suffered a grim 11-4 defeat to Tocoi Creek in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Can St. Augustine avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
