The Ponte Vedra Sharks will face off against the Beachside Barracudas at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Ponte Vedra is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
Beachside will be up against a hot Ponte Vedra team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Everything went Ponte Vedra's way against Riverside on Monday as Ponte Vedra made off with an 11-0 win. That 11 run margin sets a new team best for the Sharks this season.
Roshan Patel was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one double. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in RBI.
Luke George
| 02/10/25 @ Christ's Church Academy | 3 |
| 02/24/25 vs Riverside | 2 |
| 02/20/25 vs Fletcher | 2 |
In other batting news, Ponte Vedra let James Salvati and Luke George run wild. Salvati scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while George scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances. George is becoming a predictor of Ponte Vedra's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 1-2 when he doesn't).
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Beachside). They narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Menendez 7-6. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Barracudas.
Like Ponte Vedra, Beachside also got a great game from a two-way player: Derek Ochoa. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only a hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Ochoa was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. He also put up a triple, which was his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jason Gillespie, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and five RBI. He also scored a run, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Riley Hofrichter, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3.
Ponte Vedra pushed their record up to 4-2 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs over those games. As for Beachside, their record is now 2-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Ponte Vedra has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Beachside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Ponte Vedra came up short against Beachside in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, falling 8-4. Can Ponte Vedra avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
