The Tocoi Creek Toros will face off against the Fernandina Beach Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Tocoi Creek 3.7, Fernandina Beach 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Tuesday, Tocoi Creek didn't have quite enough to beat Ponte Vedra and fell 2-1. The contest marked the Toros' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Tocoi Creek got a good showing from Carter Lawrence, who tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits.
At the plate, Tocoi Creek saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Micha Hernandez, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Fernandina Beach). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Benedictine a 15-0 shutout on Friday. The victory was some much needed relief for the Pirates as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Trace Farmer made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in March. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI.
In other batting news, Tanner Jones was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Eli Salyer was another key player, scoring three runs while going 2-for-2.
Fernandina Beach always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .567. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Tocoi Creek's loss was their fourth straight at home, which dropped their record down to 15-7. As for Fernandina Beach, their win bumped their record up to 16-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Tocoi Creek has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fernandina Beach struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Tocoi Creek was able to grind out a solid victory over Fernandina Beach in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, winning 13-8. Will the Toros repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
