The Boone Braves will head out to take on the Apopka Blue Darters at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Boone is coming into the game on a three-game losing streak.
Boone fell victim to East Ridge and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They lost 15-0 to the Knights.
Boone saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ava Solberg, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one double.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Apopka). They blew past Ocoee 16-0 on Thursday. While the Blue Darters didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Apopka also got a great performance from Ava Millspaugh as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Taylor Smith was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. She has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last four times she's played. Skyla Durand was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Apopka always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .579. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Ocoee only posted an OBP of .158.
Boone's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for Apopka, their record now sits at 4-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Boone has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Apopka struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Boone's way against Apopka in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, as Boone made off with a 12-6 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Boone since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
