The First Academy Royals will square off against the Florence Falcons at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their matches after big wins in their previous games.
Last Saturday, The First Academy got the win against South Dade by a conclusive 9-3. The Royals might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by six runs or more this season.
Josh Garcia looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits.
Kinon Bastian
| 02/22/25 vs South Dade | 2 |
| 02/21/25 vs Windermere Prep | 2 |
| 02/20/25 vs IMG Academy Gray | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Kinon Bastian, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Austin Pierzynski, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Florence never got on the board in their matchup on Saturday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Decatur on Monday. They blew past the Red Raiders 13-1. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Falcons' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Cade Davis looked comfortable as he pitched 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
At the plate, Auston Klotzbach was incredible, scoring two runs while going 3-for-4. He also put up three hits, which were his first of the season. John Carter Goolesby was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Florence was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .419. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
The victory made it two in a row for The First Academy and bumps their season record up to 4-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs over those games. As for Florence, they picked up their first road win, bumping their record up to 2-3.
Florence's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: The First Academy hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having got 0 of their hits per game. It's a different story for Florence, though, as they've only got 0 of their hits this season. Will they be able to contain The First Academy's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
