The West Florida Jaguars will face off against the Escambia Gators at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
West Florida is looking to give their home crowd another W after opening their season at home on Tuesday. They never let Booker T. Washington onto the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The Jaguars haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive win against them.
Hayden Huntsinger
| 02/11/25 vs Booker T. Washington | 2 |
| 04/12/24 vs Booker T. Washington | 1 |
| 03/22/24 @ Escambia | 1 |
| 02/22/24 vs Northview | 1 |
Hayden Huntsinger made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (two). He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
In other pitching news, Grayson Phillips looked comfortable as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in hits (zero).
Back at the plate, John Hatch was incredible, scoring three runs while going 2-for-2. What's more, he also racked up two hits, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Keelan Boyd, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Escambia had to travel to play their first game of the season, but the final result was worth the trip. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Fort Walton Beach on Wednesday, sneaking past 13-11. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Gators have posted against the Vikings since April 25, 2022.
Like West Florida, Escambia also got a great game from a two-way player: Christian Stone. On the mound, Stone pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Colin Hanks pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. At the plate, Stone scored two runs while going 2-for-4, while Hanks scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Clayton Sanders, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. Marcus Days was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Escambia was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .471. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fort Walton Beach only posted a batting average of .281.
West Florida skirted past Escambia 3-1 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Does West Florida have another victory up their sleeve, or will Escambia turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
