Oakleaf had lost eight straight on the road dating back to last season, but on Friday they dropped down to 3-8 to make it nine. They fell just short of the Nease Panthers by a score of 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Knights have suffered since February 10th.
Julius Nesbitt
| 03/06/26 @ Nease | 2 |
| 03/02/26 @ St. Johns Country Day | 1 |
| 02/17/26 vs Fleming Island | 1 |
Oakleaf got a good showing from Julius Nesbitt, who struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Nesbitt has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Jeter Farina made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
As for Nease, their win ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 2-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory they have posted since April 9, 2025.
On Nease's side, Jude Gerosa made a big impact no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits (and not a single walk). Gerosa also tossed no walks, which is notable because Nease is 2-1 when he allows at most two walks, but 0-6 otherwise. Gerosa was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one triple and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in February of 2025.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on John Gerosa, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with three stolen bases and one run. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Damian Smith was another key player, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
Oakleaf and Nease could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings. The Knights (ranked 260th) will meet Union County (ranked 67th) at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Nease will face off against Creekside at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday with a big rank disadvantage (433 vs. 3).
