The Choctawhatchee Indians will head out on the road to challenge the Arnold Marlins at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Choctawhatchee is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 12-10 win over St. Augustine. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Indians.
The team relied heavily on Seth Young, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run and two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Gant Folendore was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one double.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Choctawhatchee lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Arnold had already won nine in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.2 runs) and they went ahead and made it ten on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Vikings a 10-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Marlins, who have now won ten games by six runs or more so far this season.
Cooper Moss made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in 11 consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two doubles, and one run.
In other batting news, Maddox Bean was excellent, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Another player making a difference was Mason Laymon, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Arnold's victory was their 12th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-6. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Choctawhatchee, their record now sits at 17-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Choctawhatchee has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Arnold struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Choctawhatchee might still be hurting after the 14-3 defeat they got from Arnold in their previous matchup back in April of 2022. Can the Indians avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
