The IMG Academy White Ascenders will venture away from home to square off against the Gateway Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
IMG Academy White took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They walked away with a 6-2 win over Prestonsburg.
Avriel Tostado
| 03/01/25 vs Cardinal Mooney | 6 |
| 03/15/25 vs Evangelical Christian | 4 |
| 03/21/25 vs Pinellas Park | 2 |
| 03/31/25 vs Prestonsburg | 1 |
| 02/26/25 vs Inspiration Academy Red | 1 |
IMG Academy White got a great performance from Avriel Tostado as he struck out eight batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. IMG Academy White is 2-1 when Tostado allowsone or fewer earned runs, but 5-10 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Owen Armstead was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run. That triple marked the first that he hit this season. Another player making a difference was Eli Bayer, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
IMG Academy White was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .375. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Prestonsburg only posted a batting average of .160.
Meanwhile, Gateway waltzed into their contest on Friday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They put the hurt on the Trojans with a sharp 8-1 victory. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 13 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Sean Collins looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over four innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in February.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jacob Hardman, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in triples (two). Jadon Torres was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one home run and two RBI.
IMG Academy White is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 7-11 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. Gateway's record is now 13-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. IMG Academy White has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Gateway struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.2 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
