The Tocoi Creek Toros will venture away from home to face off against the Orange Park Raiders at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Tocoi Creek's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Orange Park's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Tocoi Creek is headed into Monday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They took a 7-2 hit to the loss column at the hands of Trinity Christian Academy. That's two games in a row now that the Toros have lost by exactly five runs.
Tocoi Creek got a good showing from Bryson Williams, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Williams has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Tocoi Creek saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Sizemore, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Orange Park, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 win over Stanton on Friday.
Orange Park also got a great performance from John Nyberg as he didn't allow a single earned run over 5.2 innings pitched. What's more, Nyberg posted five strikeouts, the most he's had since back in February.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jack Bejarano, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Nehemiah Stephenson also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Orange Park always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .519. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Orange Park's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-14. As for Tocoi Creek, their loss dropped their record down to 13-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Tocoi Creek has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Orange Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Tocoi Creek couldn't quite finish off Orange Park in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 7-5. Can Tocoi Creek avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
