Pirates
| 03/25/25 vs Malone | 9 |
| 03/17/25 vs Vernon | 12 |
| 03/17/25 vs Cottondale | 4 |
| 03/14/25 vs Gadsden County | 22 |
| 03/11/25 vs Bethlehem | 21 |
| + 5 more games |
Ponce De Leon and Poplar Springs are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. Ponce De Leon will welcome Poplar Springs at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Ponce De Leon is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 12.7 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, Ponce De Leon was able to grind out a solid win over Malone, taking the game 9-5. The victory continues a trend for the Pirates in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won four in a row.
The team relied heavily on Mark Flynn, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-3. Ethan Bergeron was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Ponce De Leon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Poplar Springs and Bethlehem meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Tuesday. Poplar Springs put the hurt on Bethlehem with a sharp 16-3 win. The Atomics might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by ten runs or more this season.
Baron Hall and Landen Gammons made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Hall struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Gammons struck out six batters over two innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Hall has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. At the plate, Hall scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances, while Gammons scored three runs while going 2-for-4. Gammons is becoming a predictor of Poplar Springs' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 3-4 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, Hudson Mattox was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jermai Tejada, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Ponce De Leon's victory bumped their record up to 7-3. As for Poplar Springs, the win got them back to even at 5-5.
Poplar Springs' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Ponce De Leon hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .368. It's a different story for Poplar Springs, though, as they've only averaged .220. Will they be able to contain Ponce De Leon's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
