Baseball Game Preview: Nova Titans vs. Cypress Bay Lightning

The Nova Titans will face off against the Cypress Bay Lightning at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Neither Nova nor Cypress Bay posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.

Nova is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Pembroke Pines Charter just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Friday. They fell just short of the Jaguars by a score of 3-2. The matchup marked the Titans' lowest-scoring game so far this season.

Nova saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jose Palencia, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. That's the most hits Palencia has posted since back in March of 2024.

Meanwhile, Cypress Bay came up short against Everglades on Wednesday and fell 4-1.

Collin Hatfield spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on one hit and racked up ten Ks. Those ten strikeouts set a new season-high mark for him.

Cypress Bay now has a losing record of 4-5. As for Nova, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 6-1.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Nova has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cypress Bay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Nova took their victory against Cypress Bay in their previous matchup back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 8-2. Will Nova repeat their success, or does Cypress Bay have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.