The Altha Wildcats will challenge the Ponce De Leon Pirates at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Altha is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.5 runs per game this season.
Altha made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Wakulla Christian School, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Wildcats were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over the Saints on Friday. Considering the Wildcats have won 11 matchups by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Riley Rowe spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Griffin Pickron was excellent, scoring a run while going 1-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Aidan Grover, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, Ponce De Leon came up short against Rocky Bayou Christian on Tuesday, falling 10-3.
Ponce De Leon saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Braiden Yates, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Yates has become a key player for the Pirates: the team is 6-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-4 otherwise.
The victory made it two in a row for Altha and bumps their season record up to 12-5. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.5 runs over those games. As for Ponce De Leon, their defeat ended a nine-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 9-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Altha has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ponce De Leon struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Altha suffered a grim 13-3 defeat to Ponce De Leon when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
