Baseball Game Preview: Jay Royals vs. Central Jaguars

Royals

Runs

04/01/25 @ T.R. Miller	2
03/28/25 @ Northview	5
03/27/25 vs Walton	9
03/25/25 @ Milton	14
03/20/25 @ West Florida	2
+ 13 more games

Jay is 9-1 against Central since March of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Royals will take on the Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. Jay is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.

Jay is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering T.R. Miller just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 3-2.

Hayden Morris put in work no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. Morris was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season.

Morris wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jax Lowery, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.

Meanwhile, Central lost 7-1 to Pensacola Catholic on Friday. The loss continues a trend for the Jaguars in their meetings with the Crusaders: they've now lost three in a row.

Central's defeat dropped their record down to 12-3. As for Jay, their loss dropped their record down to 10-8.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Jay has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Jay took their win against Central in their previous meeting back in May of 2022 by a conclusive 9-2 score. Will the Royals repeat their success, or do the Jaguars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.