Baseball Game Preview: Robinson Knights vs. Plant City Raiders

The Robinson Knights will challenge the Plant City Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: Robinson has struggled recently with five losses in a row, while Plant City will arrive with three straight wins.

On Tuesday, Robinson didn't have quite enough to beat Plant and fell 4-3. That's two games in a row now that the Knights have lost by just one run.

Samuel Hyman spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on 12 hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Robinson saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nathan Porath, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.

Meanwhile, Plant City got the win against Riverview on Monday by a conclusive 9-1.

Jacob Carbaugh looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February.

On the hitting side, Salvadore Jaramillo and Drew Cothren did most of the damage at the plate: Jaramillo scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4, while Cothren scored two runs while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits Cothren has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Max Cieslo, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.

Plant City kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.

Robinson's defeat dropped their record down to 9-13. As for Plant City, their victory bumped their record up to 14-10.

Robinson came out on top in a nail-biter against Plant City when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 9-8. Do the Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.