Nease took an 11-run loss the last time they faced off against Clay, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Panthers skirted past the Blue Devils 4-3. Four seems to be a good number for the Panthers as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Austin Eckart
| 02/12/26 vs Atlantic Coast | 5 |
| 02/18/26 vs St. Augustine | 4 |
| 02/24/26 @ Union County | 3 |
Austin Eckart looked comfortable as he tossed 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He is becoming a predictor of Nease's success: when he allows at most one hit the team is 2-1 (and 2-6 when he doesn't).
On the hitting side, Nease saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jack Hoover, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one double. That's the most runs Hoover has posted since back in March of 2025. Marley Bredt also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
The victory (which was Nease's third in a row) raised their record to 4-7. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Clay, they now have a losing record of 6-7.
Looking ahead, Nease will head out to square off against Mandarin at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for Clay, they will be playing at home against Fleming Island at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
