Panthers
| 03/21/25 vs Hillcrest | 17-2 |
| 03/20/25 @ Hillcrest | 21-4 |
| 03/19/25 @ Leroy | 5-3 |
| 03/17/25 vs Sweet Water | 6-3 |
| 03/14/25 vs Monroe County | 20-1 |
| + 2 more games |
Excel waltzed into their game on Friday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They were the clear victors by a 17-2 margin over the Hillcrest Jaguars. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 21-4 last Thursday.
Hampton Pharr looked comfortable as he struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits (and only one walk). Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, Excel got a massive performance out of Trent Williams, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. What's more, Williams posted two doubles, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. Holden Stacey also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Excel hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in eight consecutive contests.
Excel's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-11. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Hillcrest, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-3.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Excel will take on Andalusia at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Excel's pitchers better be ready for this one: Andalusia has averaged an impressive 7.3 runs per game this season. As for Hillcrest, they will have a little extra prep time after the defeat as they won't be playing again for a while. They'll take on Monroe County at 4:00 p.m. on the 31st. Hillcrest is facing Monroe County at the right time seeing as Monroe County is stuck on an eight-game losing streak.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
