Baseball Game Preview: Davidson Academy Bears vs. Port Charlotte Pirates

The Davidson Academy Bears will take on the Port Charlotte Pirates in a tournament on Tuesday. Davidson Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10.2 runs per game this season.

Davidson Academy is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Braden River just ended the team's three-game winning streak on Monday. They fell just short of the Pirates by a score of 2-1. The loss was the Bears' first of the season.

Ean McCord

Batters Struck Out

03/10/25 @ Braden River	7
03/03/25 vs Waverly Central	6
04/03/24 vs Goodpasture Christian	8

Ean McCord was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out seven batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024.

On the hitting side, Davidson Academy saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cooper Rogers, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. Cam Suggs also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Port Charlotte, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. They skirted past Charlotte 3-2.

Reed Backstrom and Brock Budreau made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Backstrom didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Budreau struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits (and only one walk). He is becoming a predictor of Port Charlotte's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is undefeated (and 2-4 when he doesn't). At bat, Backstrom got on base in four of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI, while Budreau scored a run while going 3-for-4.

Port Charlotte's record is now 6-4. As for Davidson Academy, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 3-1.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Davidson Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Port Charlotte struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 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 action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.