The Yulee Hornets will square off against the Bishop Kenny Crusaders at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Yulee is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.
Yulee is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They walked away with a 6-1 victory over St. Augustine. Six seems to be a good number for the Hornets as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Brodie Nichols spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up nine Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Daylon Adams, who went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Bishop Kenny). Everything went their way against Menendez on Tuesday as they made off with a 13-5 victory. The high-scoring effort was just what the Crusaders needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.
Braxton Dowdle looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Bishop Kenny is 2-1 when Dowdle allows two or fewer hits, but 4-18 otherwise.
At the plate, Colin Ulrich and Derek Heideman did most of the damage at the plate: Ulrich scored four runs while going 3-for-4, while Heideman got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Heideman is becoming a predictor of Bishop Kenny's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 4-18 when he doesn't). Caleb Pasko was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
The win (which was Yulee's third in a row) raised their record to 16-11. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Bishop Kenny, their win bumped their record up to 6-19.
Bishop Kenny's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Yulee has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .432. It's a different story for Bishop Kenny, though, as they've only averaged .338. Will they be able to contain Yulee's hitters?
Yulee suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to Bishop Kenny in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Hornets avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
