Baseball Game Preview: Ponce De Leon Pirates vs. Chipley Tigers

Ponce De Leon hasn't had much luck against Chipley recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Pirates will face off against the Tigers at 5:00 p.m. Ponce De Leon is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.5 runs per game this season.

Last Thursday, Ponce De Leon didn't have quite enough to beat Altha and fell 7-6. The Pirates have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Dalton Churchwell

Runs

04/10/25 vs Altha	2
04/04/25 @ Laurel Hill	2
04/01/25 @ Poplar Springs	2
03/28/25 vs Poplar Springs	2
03/14/25 vs Gadsden County	2
+ 6 more games

Dalton Churchwell put in work while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4. He has become a key player for Ponce De Leon: the team is 5-2 when he posts at least two runs, but 4-5 otherwise.

In other batting news, Hunter Weimorts made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. That triple was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Braiden Yates, who scored two runs while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Chipley's offense. They came up short against Holmes County on Thursday, falling 11-0. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Tigers' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Ponce De Leon's defeat dropped their record down to 9-7. As for Chipley, with the loss, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 11-9.

Ponce De Leon suffered a grim 14-4 defeat to Chipley in their previous matchup back in April of 2021. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.