The Pine Forest Eagles will square off against the Escambia Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Pine Forest will be strutting in after a victory while Escambia will be coming in after a loss.
Pine Forest is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Booker T. Washington 17-2. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matches by ten runs or more this season.
Kelsey Bumgarner made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. Bumgarner was even better at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four runs, four RBI, and one stolen base.
Mary Brockett
| 04/29/25 vs Booker T. Washington | 5 |
| 04/10/25 @ Booker T. Washington | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs West Florida Baptist Academy | 2 |
| 02/25/25 @ Aletheia Christian Academy | 2 |
| 04/26/24 @ Baker | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mary Brockett, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with five stolen bases and four runs. Those five stolen bases gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kimaya Jones, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
Pine Forest was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .500. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Escambia came up short against Tate on Wednesday, falling 9-2.
Escambia saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Morgan Stancliff, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Pine Forest is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-7 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.6 runs over those games. As for Escambia, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 14-8 record this season.
Thursday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Pine Forest has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .496. However, it's not like Escambia struggles in that department as they've averaged .524. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Pine Forest might still be hurting after the 11-0 defeat they got from Escambia in their previous matchup on April 2nd. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
