Jaguars
| 04/03/25 @ Destin | 4 |
| 04/01/25 vs Baker | 5 |
| 03/31/25 @ Jay | 0 |
| 03/28/25 @ Pensacola | 18 |
| 03/27/25 @ Freeport | 8 |
| + 9 more games |
The Central Jaguars are taking a road trip to take on the Escambia Gators at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.6 runs per game this season.
Central's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They came out on top against Destin by a score of 4-0. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Jaguars.
Tenley Smarr was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. Smarr was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Smarr wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Natalie Blair, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Maryanne Gunter also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Escambia made easy work of Pine Forest on Wednesday and carried off an 11-0 win. Considering the Gators have won eight games by more than nine runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Central, Escambia also got a great game from a two-way player: Madelynn Ladner. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts Ladner has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. She has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times she's played.
In other batting news, Escambia got a massive performance out of Gwen Verble, who scored two runs while going 3-for-2. Those three hits gave Verble a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Abbie Freeman, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Escambia always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .808. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Escambia has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-5 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.8 runs over those games. As for Central, their record is now 9-5.
Both Central and Escambia just can't seem to miss. The Jaguars have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. However, it's not like Escambia struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.4 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Central suffered a grim 22-4 defeat to Escambia in their previous meeting back in March of 2023. Can the Jaguars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
