Santa Fe has gone a perfect 10-0 against Palatka recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Raiders will take on the Panthers at 6:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Santa Fe is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Eastside get on the board and left with a 14-0 victory. The win was some much needed relief for the Raiders as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.
Brody Rou looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in February.
Jackson McDavid
| 04/15/25 vs Eastside | 4 |
| 03/26/25 vs Gainesville | 4 |
| 03/27/25 vs Trenton | 3 |
| 03/12/25 @ Keystone Heights | 3 |
| 03/07/25 vs Saint Francis Catholic | 3 |
| + 11 more games |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jackson McDavid, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. He has become a key player for Santa Fe: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least three RBI, but 7-13 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Will Beck, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Santa Fe always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .588. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Palatka came tearing into Tuesday's game with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.6 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They were the clear victors by a 17-1 margin over the Tornadoes. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matches by six runs or more this season.
Paxton Sweat made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Jacob Gaskin and Tanner Akers did most of the damage at the plate: Gaskin scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2, while Akers went 3-for-4 with five RBI and two runs. Ryan Surrency was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
Santa Fe's victory bumped their record up to 11-14. As for Palatka, their win bumped their record up to 17-8.
Santa Fe took their victory against Palatka when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 12-2 score. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
