Preview: Gainesville Hurricanes vs. Buchholz Bobcats
Gainesville is 10-0 against Buchholz since March of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Gainesville Hurricanes will head out on the road to challenge the Buchholz Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. Gainesville will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Gainesville stacked a seventh blowout win onto their ever-increasing hoard on Wednesday. They were the clear victor by an 18-3 margin over P.K. Yonge. Gainesville had a rough season last year, but they look ready to turn that poor record around this year.
Leanna Bourdage made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Bourdage has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts in six consecutive pitching appearances. Bourdage was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Braylin Cook was incredible, going 3-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Elise Knopf was another key contributor, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Buchholz came into Thursday's game having lost three straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They were the clear victor by a 31-10 margin over Eastside. That looming 31-10 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for Buchholz yet this season.
Buchholz got a massive performance out of Jayda Cooper, who went 4-for-4 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Madison Blackford, who scored four runs and stole three bases while getting on base in four of her six plate appearances.
Gainesville's victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 11-0. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.0 runs per game. As for Buchholz, their record now sits at 7-5.
Buchholz's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Gainesville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Buchholz, though, as they've been averaging only 2.8 per game. Will Gainesville keep running through batters, or will Buchholz buck the trend?
Everything went Gainesville's way against Buchholz when the teams last played back in February as Gainesville made off with a 15-3 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Gainesville since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
