The Pace Patriots will face off against the Oakleaf Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Pace sitting on six straight wins and Oakleaf on three.
Pace is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. They never let Fletcher get on the board and left with an 11-0 victory. The Patriots might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 games by seven runs or more this season.
Hannah DeMarcus
| 05/08/25 vs Fletcher | 14 |
| 05/01/25 vs Navarre | 14 |
| 04/29/25 vs Crestview | 18 |
| 04/23/25 vs Milton | 18 |
| 04/21/25 @ Jay | 24 |
| + 17 more games |
Nobody will forget Hannah DeMarcus's heroic performance anytime soon (especially Fletcher's batters): she turned in a perfect game. DeMarcus has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than ten strikeouts in 22 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Abby McLean, who fired off two home runs while going 2-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Lana Gonzales was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Pace always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fletcher only posted an OBP of .000.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Thursday as neither Oakleaf nor Bartram Trail made it on the board until the seventh inning. The Knights came out on top in a nail-biter against the Bears, sneaking past 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Knights have posted against the Bears since March 10, 2015.
Charlotte Maddox spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Oakleaf's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jaydyn Beall, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base and one double. Another was Avery Garcia, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances.
Pace pushed their record up to 21-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Oakleaf, the win got them back to even at 12-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Pace has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 16 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Oakleaf struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Pace couldn't quite get it done against Oakleaf when the teams last played back in April of 2015 as they fell 5-0. Will the Patriots have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
