The Niceville Eagles will challenge the Clarksville Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Niceville is coming into the match hot, having won their last eight games.
Niceville had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 11-run drubbing they dealt Choctawhatchee on Thursday. Niceville put the hurt on Choctawhatchee with a sharp 13-2 victory. Considering the Eagles have won six games by more than seven runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Landon Hawkins
| 03/13/25 vs Choctawhatchee | 2 |
| 03/06/25 vs Baldwin County | 2 |
| 02/27/25 @ Mosley | 0 |
Landon Hawkins tossed a big game, pitching 4.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Nicholas Gates and Jackson Marquardt did most of the damage at the plate: Gates went 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI, while Marquardt scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-1. What's more, Marquardt posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Hunter Tarchalski, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Niceville kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Choctawhatchee only managed three hits.
Meanwhile, Clarksville is ranked highly in their home state and on Thursday they took on another highly ranked team in the form of Lewisburg. Clarksville fell 11-8 to Lewisburg. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Wildcats, who until this contest were averaging 3.71 runs allowed.
Kayden Pledger was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. Korbin Reynolds was another key player, getting on base in all five of his plate appearances.
Niceville's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Clarksville, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 5-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Niceville hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Clarksville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.6 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
