vs
| 04/18/24 - Home | 0-2 L |
| 04/07/22 - Home | 10-0 W |
| 03/04/22 - Away | 3-2 W |
| 03/09/21 - Away | 11-2 W |
| 02/26/21 - Home | 4-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Niceville is 8-2 against South Walton since April of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Tuesday. The Eagles will head out on the road to face off against the Seahawks at 6:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Niceville comes in on five and South Walton on nine.
Niceville is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Gulf Breeze, who was ranked 19th at the time (Niceville was ranked 17th). The Eagles came out on top against the Dolphins by a score of 6-3 on Friday.
Matthew Marcantonio was excellent, scoring a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Deacon Avery was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI.
Meanwhile, South Walton was able to grind out a solid victory over Gulf Breeze on Saturday, taking the game 6-1.
Braxton Varnes spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Coleman Borthwick, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Nathan Whitney, who scored two runs.
South Walton's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.5 runs over those games. As for Niceville, their record now sits at 19-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Niceville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like South Walton struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Niceville couldn't quite finish off South Walton when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 2-0. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
