The Ponte Vedra Sharks will take on the Nease Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Nease took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Ponte Vedra, who comes in off a win.
Ponte Vedra took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over Christ's Church Academy. The result was nothing new for the Sharks, who have now won six matchups by six runs or more so far this season.
Hunter Alba
| 04/03/25 vs Christ's Church Academy | 5 |
| 03/25/25 vs St. Augustine | 3 |
| 03/13/25 vs Baker County | 3 |
| 02/10/25 @ Christ's Church Academy | 3 |
| 03/03/25 vs St. Joseph Academy | 2 |
Hunter Alba and Max Mracek dominated on the mound. Alba pitched three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits, while Mracek pitched two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. The dominant performance also gave Alba a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
On the hitting side, Cole Rambler was a standout: he scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Aspen McAdoo was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.
Ponte Vedra always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Nease was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They lost 11-1 to Bartram Trail. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Panthers have suffered against the Bears since February 28, 2020.
Nease saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Fletcher Reston, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.
Ponte Vedra is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-8 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.9 runs on average over those games. As for Nease, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-14.
Ponte Vedra came out on top in a nail-biter against Nease in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. Do the Sharks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
