Baseball Preview: IMG Academy Blue Ascenders vs. Kathleen Red Devils
IMG Academy Blue has been on the road for four straight, but on Friday they'll finally head home. They will take on the Kathleen Red Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Neither IMG Academy Blue nor Kathleen posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.
Last Tuesday, IMG Academy Blue sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over Lemon Bay.
Jack Rollins tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over 6.2 innings pitched. Gavin LeMonds picked up the save, pitching 0.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
On the hitting side, IMG Academy Blue's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Destin Faile, who went 1-for-2 with a stolen base.
Meanwhile, Kathleen fell victim to a tough 12-2 defeat at the hands of Bartow on Tuesday.
Juan Rivera made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
IMG Academy Blue's win ended a four-game drought on the road and puts them at 7-7-1. As for Kathleen, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost six of their last seven contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-11 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. IMG Academy Blue has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Kathleen struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.1. The only question left is which team can snag more.
IMG Academy Blue might still be hurting after the 6-0 loss they got from Kathleen in their previous matchup back in March of 2023. Thankfully for IMG Academy Blue, Daleshawn Smith (who didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out 12 over 6.2 innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
