Navarre hasn't had much luck against Pace recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Raiders will square off against the Patriots at 6:30 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Navarre took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-1 margin over Tate. The Raiders haven't had any issues with the Aggies recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Kayden Riddle spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up eight Ks.
On the hitting side, Navarre got a massive performance out of Karsyn Riddle, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Lily Weaver, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Navarre kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are 9-1 when they post 11 or more hits.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Pace had no problem doing just that on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Bulldogs an 8-0 shutout. The win was familiar territory for the Patriots, who have now won four matchups in a row.
Crestview's batters probably weren't too happy with Hannah DeMarcus, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 18 Ks (she gave up a single walk). DeMarcus has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in 20 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Gracie Ueberroth, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Grayson Cox, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Navarre's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-8. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Pace, their victory bumped their record up to 19-3.
Both Navarre and Pace just can't seem to miss. The Raiders have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. However, it's not like Pace struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 1.9 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Navarre came up short against Pace in their previous meeting on April 1st, falling 13-9. Can the Raiders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
