Baseball Game Preview: Port Charlotte Pirates vs. Avon Park Red Devils

The Port Charlotte Pirates will be taking part in a tournament against the Avon Park Red Devils at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Port Charlotte's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Avon Park's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Port Charlotte came into this matchup off a tough seven-run defeat on Tuesday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of Maryville by a score of 11-9 on Wednesday. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Pirates, who until this contest were averaging 3.58 runs allowed.

Reed Backstrom

Runs Batted In (Career)

03/12/25 vs Maryville	2
03/08/25 vs Charlotte	1
02/21/25 vs Riverview Sarasota	1
02/19/25 vs South Fort Myers	1
02/14/25 @ North Port	1

Reed Backstrom was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (two). Mason Taylor was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, Avon Park fell victim to Inspiration Academy and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They came up short against the Lions, falling 10-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Red Devils have suffered since April 18, 2024.

Avon Park's defeat dropped their record down to 9-3. As for Port Charlotte, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 6-6.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Port Charlotte has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Avon Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.