The Escambia Gators will square off against the Central Jaguars at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. Escambia is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 11.6 runs per game this season.
Escambia's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Pine Forest 11-0. The victory continues a trend for the Gators in their matchups with the Eagles: they've now won three in a row.
Madelynn Ladner made a big impact no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in April of 2024. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. She has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last six times she's played.
Gwen Verble
| 04/02/25 vs Pine Forest | 3 |
| 03/26/25 vs Pensacola | 2 |
| 03/13/25 @ Pensacola Catholic | 2 |
| 03/12/25 @ Elberta | 2 |
| 02/21/25 @ Booker T. Washington | 2 |
In other batting news, Escambia got a massive performance out of Gwen Verble, who scored two runs while going 3-for-2. Those three hits gave Verble a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Abbie Freeman, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Escambia was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .762. They are 8-2 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Central beat Destin 4-0 on Thursday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Jaguars.
Like Escambia, Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Tenley Smarr. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over seven innings pitched. Smarr was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Smarr wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Natalie Blair, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Maryanne Gunter also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Escambia's win bumped their record up to 9-5. As for Central, their victory bumped their record up to an identical 9-5.
Friday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Escambia hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .468. However, it's not like Central struggles in that department as they've averaged .357. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Escambia's way against Central in their previous meeting back in March of 2023, as Escambia made off with a 22-4 win. Will the Gators repeat their success, or do the Jaguars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
