Niceville will square off against Pine Forest at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Niceville is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.5 runs per game this season.
Niceville is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: Campbellsville, who was ranked tenth in their home state at the time (Niceville was ranked 16th). Niceville won by a run and slipped past Campbellsville 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win Niceville has posted since March 11th.
Niceville's victory was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Nicholas Gates, who went 1-for-4 with three RBI.
Meanwhile, Pine Forest was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight defeat. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost a 6-4 heartbreaker at the hands of Booker T. Washington. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Eagles have suffered since March 11, 2024.
Trayvian Murdock was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Niceville's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 21-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Pine Forest, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-23-1.
Pine Forest's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Niceville hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .312. It's a different story for Pine Forest, though, as they've only averaged .195. Will they be able to contain Niceville's hitters?
Everything went Niceville's way against Pine Forest when the teams last played two weeks ago, as Niceville made off with a 22-0 win. Does Niceville have another victory up their sleeve, or will Pine Forest turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
