The Timber Creek Wolves will take on the Apopka Blue Darters in a tournament on Wednesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
On Monday, Timber Creek needed a bit of extra time to put away West Orange. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Warriors 7-5. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Wolves.
Hayden Knowlton looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Elijah Buffaloe, who fired off two home runs and three runs while going 2-for-4. Those home runs were his first of the season. Sebastian Hurtado was another key player, going 3-for-4 with three doubles and two RBI.
Timber Creek kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in May of 2024.
Meanwhile, Apopka had just enough and edged out Boone 4-3 on Monday.
Maddox Stinson looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Apopka saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aiden Rieli, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Apopka is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-3 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. Timber Creek pushed their record up to 7-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Timber Creek has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Apopka struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Timber Creek beat Apopka 7-2 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Does Timber Creek have another victory up their sleeve, or will Apopka turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
