The Pine Forest Eagles will square off against the West Florida Baptist Academy Conquerors at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Pine Forest has given up an average of 7.4 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Pine Forest fell victim to Escambia and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They came up short against the Gators, falling 11-0. The Eagles haven't had much luck with the Gators recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Pine Forest saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Elizabeth Rudd, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, West Florida Baptist Academy strolled into their game on Tuesday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They walked away with an 8-5 victory over Pensacola Catholic.
Riley Scheel was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
In other batting news, Aubrey Doyle and Cali Ellis did most of the damage at the plate: Doyle went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Ellis scored two runs and stole three bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Those three stolen bases gave Ellis a new career-high. Cambri Goins was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4.
West Florida Baptist Academy hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in three consecutive contests.
West Florida Baptist Academy's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-0. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.9 runs over those games. As for Pine Forest, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pine Forest has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like West Florida Baptist Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
