Saraland is on a four-game streak of home wins, while Excel is on a nine-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. The Spartans will host the Panthers at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Tuesday, Saraland made easy work of Blount and carried off a 13-1 win. While fans of the Spartans might be used to big wins, the 12-run margin marked the team's biggest one yet.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Excel took on Hillcrest on Thursday. The Panthers blew past the Jaguars 13-1.
Holden Stacey made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
In other batting news, Trent Williams was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Mattox Dailey was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one double.
Excel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .385 or higher in three consecutive games.
Saraland's victory bumped their record up to 10-3. As for Excel, their win bumped their record up to 15-2.
Saraland was able to grind out a solid victory over Excel in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, winning 5-0. Do the Spartans have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.