The Gulf Coast Sharks are taking a road trip to square off against the Cypress Lake Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The last three games Gulf Coast has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Gulf Coast took a 11-run defeat the last time they faced off against Estero, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Sharks came out on top against the Wildcats on Monday by a score of 5-4 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game).
Taylor Stalling spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than one walk in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Gulf Coast's victory was truly a team effort as seven different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jazmin Colosimo, who went 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Another was Kadi Hodgson, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Cypress Lake got the win against Gateway on Tuesday by a conclusive 21-7. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by nine runs or more this season.
Audrina Westland was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Westland was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with five RBI, three runs, and one triple.
In other batting news, Cypress Lake let Kelley Kenner and Maisy Vogel run wild. Kenner went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base, while Vogel went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Those two runs gave Kenner a new career-high. Mackenzy Stouffer was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with three runs.
Cypress Lake was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Gulf Coast's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 17-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Cypress Lake, their record now sits at 7-13.
Cypress Lake's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Gulf Coast hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .336. It's a different story for Cypress Lake, though, as they've only averaged .172. Will they be able to contain Gulf Coast's hitters?
Gulf Coast took their win against Cypress Lake when the teams last played two weeks ago by a conclusive 13-0 score. Will the Sharks repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
