The Ocean Lakes Dolphins will face off against the Norview Pilots at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Ocean Lakes is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Ocean Lakes took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Kempsville a 10-0 shutout. The win continues a trend for the Dolphins in their matchups with the Chiefs: they've now won four in a row.
Daniel Hamilton tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out nine over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Tre Hamilton, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April. Another player making a difference was Brady Nagle, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two runs.
Ocean Lakes always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .542. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Kempsville only posted an OBP of .167.
Meanwhile, Norview was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-3 heartbreaker at the hands of Arcadia. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Pilots have suffered since May 25, 2024.
Norview saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jamil Moreta, who went 1-for-3 with one home run.
Ocean Lakes pushed their record up to 14-5 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Norview, they now have a losing record of 9-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ocean Lakes has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Norview struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ocean Lakes took their victory against Norview when the teams last played back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0 score. Do the Dolphins have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pilots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
