The Wakulla War Eagles will face off against the Suwannee Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Wakulla's pitching crew has only allowed 1.6 runs per game this season, so Suwannee's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Wakulla gave up the first runs last Tuesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 win over Franklin County. The War Eagles haven't had any issues with the Seahawks recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive victory against them.
Charley Butler spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on seven hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in 16 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brianna Stephens, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and two runs. That home run was her first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Parker Stubbs, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Wakulla was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Franklin County only posted a batting average of .250.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Suwannee rose to the challenge on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Jaguars a 16-0 shutout. The Bulldogs' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Emalyn Watley made a splash while hitting and pitching. She tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Watley was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, Maylee Gabey was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Gabby Rodriguez, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Wakulla's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 18-4-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Suwannee, they now have a winning record of 11-10.
