The First Coast Buccaneers will be taking part in a tournament against the Baldwin Indians at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. First Coast's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Baldwin's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
First Coast's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They came out on top against Ridgeview by a score of 3-0. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Buccaneers.
Not much got past Hayden Carns, who gave up just two hits and racked up ten Ks to keep Ridgeview off the board. Carns has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, First Coast saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Journey Sutton, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Baldwin). Everything went their way against Union County on Friday as Baldwin made off with a 15-7 win. The Indians not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since February 11th.
Baldwin got a massive performance out of Mason Williams, who scored two runs while going 4-for-5. Those four hits gave Williams a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Drew Harmon, who went 1-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
Baldwin always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .535. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
With the victory, Baldwin broke their four-game losing streak and moved their record to 8-7. As for First Coast, their record is now 7-4.
First Coast's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's match. First Coast has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Baldwin, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will First Coast continue to outrun the ball?
First Coast was able to grind out a solid win over Baldwin when the teams last played back in April of 2022, winning 5-0. Will First Coast repeat their success, or does Baldwin have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.