Walton and North Bay Haven Academy are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2021, but likely not for long. The Walton Braves will be staying on the road on Thursday to face off against the North Bay Haven Academy Buccaneers at 6:00 p.m. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Walton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Pensacola Catholic onto the board and left with a 5-0 victory.
The team relied heavily on Izzy Holden, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Bailey Crowther, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, North Bay Haven Academy can now show off 13 landslide victories after their most recent game on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Bay with a sharp 13-2 win. North Bay Haven Academy's offense finally found a way to get into gear: the high-octane performance was a 180-degree turn from their last three games.
Addison Mallon made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. Mallon has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive pitching appearances. Mallon was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Bailee Gladden was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while going 4-for-5. Another player making a difference was Kaylee Goodpaster, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Walton's victory bumped their record up to 10-12. As for North Bay Haven Academy, their win bumped their record up to 19-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Walton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like North Bay Haven Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Walton came up short against North Bay Haven Academy in their previous matchup back in April, falling 5-1. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Mallon, who tossed 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Now that Walton knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
