The Episcopal School of Jacksonville Eagles will head out on the road to challenge the Creekside Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Episcopal School of Jacksonville will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
It was a Battle of the Birds when Episcopal School of Jacksonville took on Paxon School For Advanced Studies on Thursday. The Eagles came out on top against the Golden Eagles by a score of 12-7. Episcopal School of Jacksonville's win was all the more impressive since the Golden Eagles were averaging only 3.71 runs allowed on the season.
Riley Valent made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and two unearned) runs off nine hits. Those hits were her first of the season. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Kenzie Ranalli and Crissie Clayman did most of the damage at the plate: Ranalli fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-4, while Clayman scored three runs and stole three bases while going 4-for-4. Those two home runs gave Ranalli a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Emily Davidson, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Creekside suffered their closest loss since March 4th on Thursday. They fell just short of Bartram Trail by a score of 3-1. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, the Knights couldn't push the score so high this time.
Arianna Carrigan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on three hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Creekside saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Grace Lancaster, who went 1-for-2 with one triple.
Episcopal School of Jacksonville's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-3. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Creekside, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-6.
Creekside's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Episcopal School of Jacksonville hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .333. It's a different story for Creekside, though, as they've only averaged .258. Will they be able to contain Episcopal School of Jacksonville's hitters?
Episcopal School of Jacksonville came up short against Creekside in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, falling 6-3. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
