The Episcopal School of Jacksonville Eagles will challenge the Yulee Hornets at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Yulee will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Episcopal School of Jacksonville extended their winning streak to nine on Tuesday. The Eagles were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over Creekside.
Riley Valent spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on eight hits. Those hits marked the first that she allowed this season.
At the plate, Claire Cinnamond and Emily Davidson did most of the damage at the plate: Cinnamond scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Davidson scored two runs while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Amelia Oreair, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, while Yulee put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Raines. The Hornets blew past the Vikings 16-0. The Hornets' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Yulee let Peyton Tharp and Ava Martyn run wild. Tharp scored four runs and stole three bases while going 4-for-4, while Martyn scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Those three stolen bases gave Tharp a new career-high. Ashlyn Soller was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Episcopal School of Jacksonville pushed their record up to 15-3 with the win, which was their 16th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.2 runs on average over those games. As for Yulee, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-7-1.
Yulee's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Episcopal School of Jacksonville has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .455. It's a different story for Yulee, though, as they've only averaged .353. Will they be able to contain Episcopal School of Jacksonville's hitters?
Episcopal School of Jacksonville was able to grind out a solid victory over Yulee in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 8-4. Will the Eagles repeat their success, or do the Hornets have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
