The Escambia Gators are taking a road trip to square off against the Choctawhatchee Indians at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Escambia is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.
Last Tuesday, Escambia beat Northview 4-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Gators.
Parker Zareck
| 03/25/25 vs Northview | 9 |
| 02/27/25 vs Booker T. Washington | 5 |
| 03/18/25 @ Milton | 2 |
| 02/12/25 @ Fort Walton Beach | 2 |
| 03/12/25 @ Tate | 1 |
Parker Zareck spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits and racked up nine Ks. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, Jackson Camargo was excellent, going a perfect 1-for-1 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Marcus Days, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Choctawhatchee hadn't done well against West Florida recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. Choctawhatchee blew past West Florida 13-2. The result was nothing new for the Indians, who have now won seven matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Choctawhatchee also got a great performance from Carson Appleton as he struck out six batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits. Choctawhatchee is undefeated when Appleton allowstwo or fewer earned runs, but 5-6 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Maddox Gentry was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Ryan Saffo also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Choctawhatchee kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in four consecutive contests.
Choctawhatchee has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven games. That's provided a massive bump to their 10-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. Escambia's record is now 13-5.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Escambia hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .382. However, it's not like Choctawhatchee struggles in that department as they've averaged .335. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Escambia beat Choctawhatchee 10-5 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Does Escambia have another victory up their sleeve, or will Choctawhatchee turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
