The River Ridge Royal Knights will take on the Nature Coast Tech Sharks at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the matchup red-hot, with River Ridge sitting on four straight wins and Nature Coast Tech on three.
On Wednesday, River Ridge needed a bit of extra time to put away Dunedin. They had just enough and edged out the Falcons 2-1. That's two games straight that the Royal Knights have won by just one run.
Cameron Kessell was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Carson Cooley
| 03/12/25 @ Dunedin | 1 |
| 03/06/25 @ Land O' Lakes | 1 |
| 02/27/25 vs Springstead | 2 |
| 02/25/25 vs Cypress Creek | 1 |
In other pitching news, Carson Cooley looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
Meanwhile, Nature Coast Tech never let their opponents score on Thursday. They put the hurt on Hudson with a sharp 14-0 victory. The Sharks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four contests by seven runs or more this season.
RAYMOND GROETSCH looked comfortable as he pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Those hits were his first of the season.
On the hitting side, Nature Coast Tech let BRYCE HEWELL and MARIO DEANGELIS run wild. HEWELL scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while DEANGELIS scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Those three runs gave DEANGELIS a new career-high. JOEY VANCLEAVE was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Nature Coast Tech always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .568. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Hudson only posted an OBP of .364.
River Ridge's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 6-3. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Nature Coast Tech, their victory bumped their record up to 9-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. River Ridge has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Nature Coast Tech struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
River Ridge took their win against Nature Coast Tech when the teams last played back in March of 2023 by a conclusive 13-5. Does River Ridge have another victory up their sleeve, or will Nature Coast Tech turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
