Baseball Game Preview: Merritt Island Mustangs vs. Master's Academy Eagles

The Merritt Island Mustangs will take on the Master's Academy Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a four-game winning streak alive.

Merritt Island is headed into the matchup having just posted their closest win since March 18th on Wednesday. They won by a run and slipped past Eau Gallie 2-1.

Grant Arnold made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.

Shane Patrick

Batters Struck Out (Career)

04/09/25 vs Eau Gallie	13
02/21/25 @ Melbourne	10
02/12/25 vs Eau Gallie	10
03/18/25 vs George Jenkins	9
02/28/25 vs Eau Gallie	9

In other pitching news, Merritt Island got a great performance from Shane Patrick as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 13 over six innings pitched. Those 13 strikeouts gave Patrick a new career-high.

Arnold wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Liam Miller, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.

Meanwhile, Master's Academy had just enough and edged out Trinity Prep 3-2 on Wednesday.

Merritt Island pushed their record up to 18-6 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Master's Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 16-6.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Merritt Island has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Master's Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.