The Fort White Indians will head out to take on the Dixie County Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Fort White has given up an average of 9.7 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Chiefland hit Fort White with a ten-run seventh inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. Fort White came up short against Chiefland, falling 16-6. The home team had taken home the W every time these teams have met since March 28, 2022, but that streak is no more.
Mathew Pitts made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. That RBI was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Tyson Clyatt, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Dixie County never got on the board in their matchup on Thursday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Jefferson County on Friday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Tigers a 24-0 shutout. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six contests by six runs or more this season.
Kyan Cooper was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). Cooper was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Dixie County let Joel Lord and Talon Grider run wild. Lord got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base, while Grider went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Gray Wampler, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
Dixie County hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Jefferson County struck out eight times.
Dixie County's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-4. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Fort White, their loss dropped their record down to 3-11.
Fort White might still be hurting after the 15-3 defeat they got from Dixie County when the teams last played back in February. Can the Indians avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.