The DeQuincy Tigers will venture away from home to face off against the Hackberry Mustangs at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
DeQuincy took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Pickering a 15-0 shutout.
Carson Rainwater made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Noah Pettifield was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Diron Valentine, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Hackberry came tearing into Thursday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They put the hurt on the Tarpons with a sharp 14-3 win.
Like DeQuincy, Hackberry also got a great game from a two-way player: Madden Spicer. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Spicer also tossed no walks, which is notable because Hackberry is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 3-6 otherwise. Spicer was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Devin Murphy, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Hackberry is undefeated when Murphy posts two or more runs, but 2-6 otherwise. Jacob Talotta also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Hackberry kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.1 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 12.4.
DeQuincy is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-10 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Hackberry, they pushed their record up to 7-6 with the win, which was their third straight on the road.
DeQuincy took their victory against Hackberry in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 14-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tigers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
