The Baker County Wildcats are taking a road trip to face off against the Fernandina Beach Pirates at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Baker County took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They put the hurt on Bradford with a sharp 8-2 win. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Wildcats as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Reese Taylor and Kaiden Burnsed did most of the damage at the plate: Taylor scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances, while Burnsed scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs Burnsed has posted since back in February. Cole Springer also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
The home team had won the previous three meetings between Fernandina Beach and First Coast, and Fernandina Beach kept the tradition alive. Fernandina Beach blew past First Coast 11-1 on Saturday. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by six runs or more this season.
Lincoln Pertkiewicz looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Fernandina Beach got a massive performance out of Landen Holbrook, who went 2-for-4 with five RBI, one triple, and one run. Dalton Janey was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Fernandina Beach's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 14-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Baker County, their record now sits at 8-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Baker County has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fernandina Beach struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Baker County was able to grind out a solid win over Fernandina Beach in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 12-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for Baker County since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
