Oakleaf is 6-1 against First Coast since February of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Monday. The Oakleaf Knights will challenge the First Coast Buccaneers at 7:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
First Coast is hoping to do on Monday what Sandalwood couldn't on Thursday: put an end to Oakleaf's winning streak, which now stands at six games. Oakleaf's pitchers stepped up to hand Sandalwood a 2-0 shutout.
Oakleaf got a great performance from Joel Kirk as he didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits while striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched. Kirk has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Oakleaf's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was JP Espinosa, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, First Coast sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 4-2 victory over Beachside on Thursday.
Ezekiel Ansley was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out nine over six innings pitched. Ansley was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-2 with a stolen base and two RBI.
In other batting news, Robert Bryson was excellent, scoring a run and stealing three bases while going 2-for-3. Hunter Carns was another key contributor, going 1-for-4 with a home run.
Oakleaf is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last eight games, which provided a massive bump to their 16-8 record this season. As for First Coast, their win bumped their record up to 15-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Oakleaf has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like First Coast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Oakleaf skirted past First Coast 12-10 in their previous meeting back in May of 2023. Will Oakleaf repeat their success, or does First Coast have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
