The Gulf Breeze Dolphins will head out to square off against the Navarre Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Gulf Breeze's pitching crew has only allowed 3.3 runs per game this season, so Navarre's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Last Friday, Gulf Breeze came up short against Baker and fell 7-2.
Gulf Breeze saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jake Hooten, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-3. That's the most stolen bases Hooten has posted since back in April of 2024. Tommy Regan also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
The home team had won the previous five meetings between Navarre and Fort Walton Beach, and Fort Walton Beach kept the tradition alive. Navarre took a 9-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of Fort Walton Beach on Tuesday. The Raiders have struggled against the Vikings recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meetings.
Jacob McDonald made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Navarre's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 2-9 when he doesn't). Michael Jackson was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Gulf Breeze's record now sits at 6-3. As for Navarre, their record now sits at 4-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Gulf Breeze has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Navarre 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.
Everything went Gulf Breeze's way against Navarre in their previous meeting back in February, as Gulf Breeze made off with an 11-5 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Gulf Breeze since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
