The St. Augustine Yellow Jackets will face off against the Seabreeze Sandcrabs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
St. Augustine lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Wolfson, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Wednesday's matchup. The Yellow Jackets blew past the Wolfpack 11-4 on Wednesday.
Xavier Ahr
| 04/09/25 @ Wolfson | 9 |
| 03/06/25 vs Englewood | 6 |
| 03/28/25 @ Fernandina Beach | 5 |
| 03/19/25 vs Mandarin | 4 |
| 03/01/24 vs Seabreeze | 3 |
Xavier Ahr was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Lukas Wasson looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He also tossed no walks, which is notable because St. Augustine is 3-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 8-11 otherwise.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Josiah Vargas, who scored two runs while going 3-for-5. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Jordan Petty was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
St. Augustine kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.1 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 8.8.
Meanwhile, Seabreeze hadn't done well against Father Lopez recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Sandcrabs walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Green Wave. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Sandcrabs.
Tommy Hayes looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Jacob Imhoff was excellent, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Rustin Hurley, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one triple.
St. Augustine is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a massive bump to their 11-12 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. As for Seabreeze, their victory bumped their record up to 14-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Augustine has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Seabreeze struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Augustine couldn't quite get it done against Seabreeze in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 as they fell 11-8. Can the Yellow Jackets avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
