The Oakleaf Knights will venture away from home to square off against the St. Joseph Academy Flashes at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Oakleaf has struggled recently with three losses in a row, while St. Joseph Academy will arrive with six straight victories.
On Tuesday, Oakleaf didn't have quite enough to beat Bishop Kenny and fell 3-1.
Elijah Brown made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with one home run. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, St. Joseph Academy made sure to put some runs up on the board against Palatka on Tuesday. The Flashes were the clear victors by a 12-6 margin over the Panthers. The result was nothing new for the Flashes, who have now won eight matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Garrison Wade made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI.
In other batting news, Cullen Garner was a standout: he got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Bodie Fidgeon, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Oakleaf's defeat dropped their record down to 5-12. As for St. Joseph Academy, their record is now 13-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oakleaf has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like St. Joseph Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oakleaf couldn't quite finish off St. Joseph Academy in their previous meeting back in April of 2025 and fell 2-0. Can the Knights avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
