On a misty Wednesday night in Niceville, the Eagles used a balanced offensive attack to defeat Choctaw 7-1 and complete an in-season sweep of the Indians.
- The two teams first met on Feb. 13, when Niceville won 7-4 at Choctaw. This time, the Eagles handled business on their home field.
“It’s everything,” Niceville head coach Justin Bruce said of the rivalry matchup. “Coach Weber does an amazing job with those guys, gets them to play hard, they’re a gritty team, they’ll give you everything they’ve got.”
Niceville struck first in the opening inning when Ryder Hodgkinson lined an RBI single to bring home Remington Crum, putting the Eagles up 1-0.
The score held until the third, when Choctaw answered. Eagles pitcher Ethan Thomas walked Carter Marracco, who advanced to third on an error. Seth Young then singled to drive in Marracco and tie the game at 1-1.
The Eagles responded in the bottom of the third. Jake Buis drew a walk, CJ Bolden singled, and Crum singled to load the bases. Hodgkinson followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Buis to give Niceville the lead back at 2-1.
The Eagles wouldn’t let go from there.
Niceville broke the game open in the fifth. Buis walked again, Bolden singled again, and Crum was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Hodgkinson delivered once more with a two-run single that scored Buis and Bolden, pushing the lead to 4-1 and giving him four RBIs on the night.
The Eagles tacked on three more in the sixth. Thomas Radliff singled, and Boston Browning drove him in with an RBI single to make it 5-1. Buis was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and a hit-by-pitch on Bolden scored Colton Cook to make it 6-1. Deacon Avery then hit a sacrifice fly to bring home Browning for the final run.
Niceville closed out the 7-1 victory and improved to 9-3 on the season.
“If we continue to throw strikes, we continue to defend the baseball, our offense will give us enough,” Bruce said. “We’ve got to rely on our pitching and continue not to walk people.”
Niceville (9-3) hosts Hartselle (Ala.) at home Friday.
Choctaw (7-4) travels to Holmes County on Saturday for the second game of its in-season series. The two teams previously met on Feb. 27, with Holmes County winning 5-0.
