The Navarre Raiders will face off against the Pensacola Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pensacola took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Navarre, who comes in off a win.
On Tuesday, Navarre needed a bit of extra time to put away Fort Walton Beach. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 win over the Vikings. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last seven times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Gavin Gray looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in February.
At the plate, Navarre saw eight different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Noah Hawley, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Hawley also brought in an RBI, marking his first of the season. Logan Hand was another, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Navarre kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are 2-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, Pensacola was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They lost 15-0 to Escambia.
With the victory, Navarre broke their four-game losing streak and moved their record to 5-13. As for Pensacola, they now have a losing record of 6-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Navarre has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Pensacola struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Navarre's way against Pensacola in their previous meeting on March 10th, as Navarre made off with a 12-0 win. Will Navarre repeat their success, or does Pensacola has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
