The Baldwin Indians will square off against the Oakleaf Knights at 4:00 p.m. on Friday.
Baldwin is probably headed into the game with a chip on their shoulder considering Fernandina Beach just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Pirates by a score of 2-1. Having soared to a lofty 12 runs in the game before, the Indians couldn't push the score so high this time.
Baldwin saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jesse Macik, who went 2-for-3 with one double. Turner Farah was another, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run.
Meanwhile, Oakleaf beat West Nassau 7-4 on Thursday.
Kaleb Domingo tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jeter Farina, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Elijah Brown also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Oakleaf hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Nassau struck out seven times.
Oakleaf's record is now 5-9. As for Baldwin, their loss dropped their record down to 8-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Baldwin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Oakleaf struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Baldwin came out on top in a nail-biter against Oakleaf when the teams last played back in February, sneaking past 8-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Indians since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
