The Ponce De Leon Pirates are taking a road trip to square off against the Rocky Bayou Christian Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Ponce De Leon made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Laurel Hill, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Pirates put the hurt on the Hoboes with a sharp 8-2 win on Friday. The result was nothing new for the Pirates, who have now won six matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Braiden Yates
| 04/04/25 @ Laurel Hill | 3 |
| 03/17/25 vs Vernon | 2 |
| 03/06/25 @ Malone | 8 |
Travis Head and Braiden Yates made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Head didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 12 over six innings pitched. Meanwhile, Yates pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March. At the plate, Head scored two runs while going 3-for-3, while Yates scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. Head has become a key player for Ponce De Leon: the team is 6-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, Ponce De Leon let Dalton Churchwell and Ethan Bergeron run wild. Churchwell scored two runs while going 1-for-3, while Bergeron scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Mark Flynn was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-4.
Ponce De Leon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Laurel Hill only posted an OBP of .333.
Rocky Bayou Christian never got on the board in their matchup on Monday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Ponce De Leon last Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 13-2 margin over the Pirates. That 11 run margin sets a new team best for the Knights this season.
Ponce De Leon's victory was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-5. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Rocky Bayou Christian, they have been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-5-1 record this season.
Ponce De Leon might still be hurting after the 13-2 defeat they got from Rocky Bayou Christian when the teams last played on Thursday. Can the Pirates avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
