After three games on the road, Walton is heading back home. They will take on the Crestview Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Crestview took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Walton, who comes in off a win.
Walton scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Tuesday. They walked away with a 14-9 victory over Bay.
Jackson Clemmons was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Clemmons has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive pitching appearances. Clemmons was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Mason Clark, who scored two runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances. Steele Marshall was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Crestview didn't have quite enough to beat Niceville on Tuesday and fell 2-1. Crestview has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Anthony St. Vincent spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on six hits and racked up seven Ks.
At the plate, Crestview saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jaden Appleby, who went 1-for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Walton has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests, which provided a massive bump to their 7-9 record this season. As for Crestview, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Walton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Crestview struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Walton skirted past Crestview 9-7 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Crestview's Javin Shoemake, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Now that he won't be playing on Thursday, will it be that much easier for Walton to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
