The Northside Christian Mustangs are taking a road trip to take on the IMG Academy Black Ascenders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Northside Christian had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt St. Petersburg Catholic on Tuesday. Northside Christian put the hurt on St. Petersburg Catholic with a sharp 8-1 win. That seven run margin sets a new team best for the Mustangs this season.
Donovan Fox
| 02/25/25 vs Palm Harbor University | 2 |
| 03/04/25 vs St. Petersburg Catholic | 1 |
Donovan Fox tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Northside Christian is undefeated when he allows at most two walks, but 2-5 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Luke Anderson, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. Bobby Hearn also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy Black put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. They were the clear victor by a 9-1 margin over Carrollwood Day. The Ascenders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matchups by eight runs or more this season.
IMG Academy Black also got a great performance from Arnie Wu as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Wu has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Juan Diaz and Frankie Thomas did most of the damage at the plate: Diaz scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-5, while Thomas went 3-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Ryan Stoddard, who went 1-for-2 with one home run.
IMG Academy Black kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 17 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in seven consecutive contests.
IMG Academy Black's victory was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.9 runs over those games. As for Northside Christian, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-5 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Northside Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like IMG Academy Black struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 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 match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
