The Beachside Barracudas will face off against the Ponte Vedra Sharks at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The last three games Beachside has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Beachside is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Menendez on Thursday, sneaking past 7-6. That's two games straight that the Barracudas have won by just one run.
Derek Ochoa made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only a hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Ochoa was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. He also hit a triple, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jason Gillespie, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and five RBI. He also put up a run, which was his first of the season. Riley Hofrichter was another key player, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3.
Meanwhile, Ponte Vedra had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Generals an 11-0 shutout. With that victory, the Sharks brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Like Beachside, Ponte Vedra also got a great game from a two-way player: Roshan Patel. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). What's more, Patel gave up only zero walks, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one double. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (two).
In other batting news, Ponte Vedra let James Salvati and Luke George run wild. Salvati scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while George scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances. George has become a key player for Ponte Vedra: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 1-2 otherwise.
Ponte Vedra's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Beachside, their victory bumped their record up to 2-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Beachside has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Ponte Vedra struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Beachside beat Ponte Vedra 8-4 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Will Beachside repeat their success, or does Ponte Vedra have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
