BSB Week 5: Northwest Florida Hosts Coastal Alabama and Mississippi Gulf Coast Before Traveling to Enterprise.
LINKS: NWF Live Stream | NWF Game Changer
NICEVILLE, Fla. — Northwest Florida baseball returns to action this week with a busy slate that includes three home games on Wednesday and Friday, along with one road contest on Saturday.
Who, When, Where
The Raiders open the week Wednesday afternoon, hosting Coastal Alabama–South for a nine-inning matchup at 1:00 p.m. It marks the second meeting of the season between the two programs, after Northwest Florida earned a 21–8 win earlier this month in Bay Minette, Ala.
Northwest Florida continues play Friday with a seven-inning doubleheader against Mississippi Gulf Coast, beginning at 1:00 p.m. The week wraps up Saturday as the Raiders travel to Enterprise, Ala., for a nine-inning road matchup against Enterprise State.
Schedule
Wednesday, February 18
• 1:00 p.m. — No. 20 Northwest Florida vs. Coastal Alabama-South
Friday, February 20
• 1:00 a.m. (DH) — No. 20 Northwest Florida vs. Mississippi Gulf Coast
• 4:00 p.m. (DH) — No. 20 Northwest Florida vs. Mississippi Gulf Coast
Saturday, February 21
• 12:00 p.m. (DH) — No. 20 Northwest Florida vs. Shelton State
Last Week
Northwest Florida opened the week with a thrilling 10–9 comeback win over Lurleen B. Wallace. The Raiders erupted for four runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by an Orlando Fernandez grand slam, to claw back into the game before taking the lead in the seventh.
Friday saw the Raiders split a doubleheader, cruising past Bishop State 10–5 before falling to No. 5 Shelton State 8–2 in the nightcap.
The two teams met again Saturday in a nine-inning battle that featured yet another Northwest Florida rally. Trailing by five runs, the Raiders exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning to seize a 12–8 lead and secure the victory.
Fernandez led the Raiders offensively on the week, tallying seven hits and four RBIs, fueled by his grand slam in Tuesday's contest. Kayden Linares, Hunter Tarchalski, and Sam Bradley also contributed four RBIs apiece during the week.
On the mound, Bradley Garrett anchored the pitching staff with 6.2 strong innings across two appearances, allowing just one earned run while striking out eight and issuing one walk. Tucker Delisle also delivered a solid outing, tossing 3.1 innings with seven strikeouts and two earned runs allowed.
Additional Notes
• Orlando Fernandez leads the nation in hits with 27 while batting .473 with 11 extra-base hits, three home runs, and 17 RBIs. He also ranks seventh in doubles, (7) and seventh in total bases (45).
• Anthony Quigley is batting .409 with 18 hits, 10 extra-base hits, a team-high six home runs, eight walks, and 22 RBIs.
• Angel Santiago is second in hits with 21. He also tallies eight extra-base hits, two home runs, 10 walks, and 15 RBIs.
• Bradley Garrett currently leads the pitching staff in innings pitched with 15.0. He's also second in strikeouts with 17 and holds the third lowest ERA at 3.00.
• Presley Woodson is second in innings with 14.2 while holding a 3.06 ERA, 12 strikeouts.
• Alex Kruse leads the Raiders in ERA with a 2.45 average, tossing 7.1 innings, allowing just five hits, two earned runs and 11 strikeouts.
• Northwest Florida's offense ranks as one of the NJCAA's best with multiple stats sitting in the top ten: first in hits (178), seventh in doubles (33), third in triples (9), ninth in home runs (22), eigth in RBIs (128), third in extra-base hits (64), second in total bases (295), and seventh in stolen bases (38).