The Baker Gators are taking a road trip to square off against the Ponce De Leon Pirates at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
Baker's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Pleasant Home as Baker made off with a 12-0 victory. The Gators might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matches by six runs or more this season.
Riley Renfro
| 03/11/25 vs Pleasant Home | 5 |
| 04/16/24 @ Laurel Hill | 2 |
| 04/02/24 @ Pensacola Christian Academy | 2 |
| 02/29/24 vs Pleasant Home | 2 |
| 03/03/25 @ Laurel Hill | 1 |
Riley Renfro was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Wyatt Straight, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last five games he's played. Maddox Smith was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Baker always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .621. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Pleasant Home only posted an OBP of .300.
Meanwhile, Ponce De Leon got the win against Bethlehem on Tuesday by a conclusive 21-5.
Like Baker, Ponce De Leon also got a great game from a two-way player: Bradley Day. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Day was also big at the plate, scoring four runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He also brought in two RBI, marking his first of the season.
In other batting news, Ponce De Leon got a massive performance out of Travis Head, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Dalton Churchwell also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Baker's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 11 runs. As for Ponce De Leon, their record is now 4-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Baker has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ponce De Leon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Baker was able to grind out a solid victory over Ponce De Leon in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 7-4. The rematch might be a little tougher for Baker since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
