The Martin County Tigers will square off against the Dwyer Panthers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Martin County is coming into the contest hot, having won their last seven games.
Martin County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Forest Hill as they made off with an 11-1 win. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Cody Bennin spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Kamai Purce was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Frankie Brancaleone, who went 2-for-3 with one home run.
Martin County always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Forest Hill only posted an OBP of .308.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Dwyer faced off against Royal Palm Beach on Tuesday. The Panthers walked away with a 4-1 victory over the Wildcats. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Dwyer also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and he was also dialed-in: Logan Reed gave up only one earned run on four hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Dom Pecoraro, who went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Rocco Bianco was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Martin County's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-7. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Dwyer, their victory bumped their record up to 12-10.
Martin County came up short against Dwyer in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, falling 8-3. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
