Naples Classical extended their losing streak to seven on Wednesday, dropping them down to 1-8. They came up short against The Village School of Naples Knights, falling 17-1. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Knights this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 16-1 two weeks ago.
Naples Classical saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nikolas Reinhart, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base and one run.
As for The Village School of Naples, their record now sits at 9-2. Considering they have won eight contests by more than six runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
On The Village School of Naples' side, Nolan Baxter and EJ Murphy were major factors no matter where they played. On the mound, Baxter tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Murphy struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). Baxter has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit in six consecutive appearances. At bat, Baxter went 2-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one double, while Murphy got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI and two runs. That's the most RBI Murphy has posted since back in April of 2025.
In other batting news, Antonio Calero was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs, one double, and one RBI. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Pisano, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming matchups. Naples Classical will square off against Everglades City at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Gators have struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed 16.38 runs per game on average), something the Athletics will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for The Village School of Naples, they will take on Donahue Catholic at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. The Knights' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Shamrocks have averaged an impressive 10.8 runs per game this season.
