The Pine Forest Eagles will be playing in front of their home fans against the Escambia Gators at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Pine Forest scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They never let Pensacola onto the board and left with a 16-0 victory. The win was a breath of fresh air for Pine Forest as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Connor Baer made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. Baer was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, Colton Swiers was incredible, firing off two triples, three runs, and four RBI while going 4-for-4. Dakota Knapp was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Escambia can now show off six landslide victories after their most recent matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victor by a 13-4 margin over Harrison County. The victory was nothing new for Escambia as they're now sitting on four straight.
Like Pine Forest, Escambia also got a great game from a two-way player: Christian Stone. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (he also only allowed one walk). Stone has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Stone was also stellar in the batter's box, going 4-for-5 with a home run, three runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Ethan Pardue was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Anthony Hall, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Pine Forest's win bumped their record up to 5-9. As for Escambia, they are on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 13-3 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Pine Forest has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Escambia struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Pine Forest was able to grind out a solid victory over Escambia in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, winning 5-2. Does Pine Forest have another victory up their sleeve, or will Escambia turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
