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Northwest Florida’s Raiders Baseball team dispatched their guests, the Polk State Eagles, in dominant fashion over the weekend. While the NJCAA scheduled a three-game homestand for the two teams in Niceville, the Raiders took out the Eagles in two run-rule games – defeating Polk State 12-4 and 14-4 in eight innings.
In game one, Kendrey Maduro hit three home runs to assert the Raider’s offensive dominance in the short series.
Former Kennesaw State Owl Cade Sadler proved to be a decisive player for the Raiders. The Atlanta-area native kept his bat hot throughout the weekend – hammering home 9 RBIs in 10 at bats over the weekend.
Brock Tapper. and Panhandle Conference First-Teamer Sam Strek earned wins for their efforts on the mound.
Head Coach Doug Martin noted that the games were closer than the final would indicate. “It was much more competitive than the final score,” Martin said on Monday as he prepared the logistics to get his young men to Tampa for their next series of baseball against Florida Southwestern on Friday, “They played well. Their pitchers threw a lot of strikes; they didn’t walk us, and they gave us a lot of free passes. They didn’t strike out, put [the ball] in play, and made us work defensively.”
Just four teams remain alive in Region 8 – all hoping to get the callup to the national tournament in just a couple of weeks’ time. The Raiders drew Florida Southwestern State for their next three-game matchup.
The Raiders and the Pirates have played twice so far this season – with the Raiders taking both contests by a combined score of 26-13.
This time, the two teams will face off at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees Spring Training facility, in Tampa.
“These guys now play together all year long, and they played together at this level. So they know they had to play a good brand of baseball to have the chance to win,” Coach Martin said, “I think that our guys are looking forward to it… We have our work cut out for [us]. Everything’s gonna be earned. Nothing will be given. Our kids are excited about that opportunity.”
The Raiders’ first pitch takes place this friday at 4:00 central time. You can watch the games live here.
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