The Merritt Island Mustangs will venture away from home to challenge the Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Merritt Island is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7 runs per game this season.
Merritt Island took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Titusville as Merritt Island made off with a 15-6 win. Considering the Mustangs have won six matches by more than seven runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Grant Arnold
| 03/25/25 vs Titusville | 3 |
| 02/18/25 @ Sebastian River | 2 |
| 03/13/25 @ Rockledge | 1 |
| 03/04/25 vs Cocoa Beach | 1 |
| 02/26/25 @ Astronaut | 1 |
Grant Arnold was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). That's the first time he hasn't allowed a single hit since back in February. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three).
In other pitching news, Asher Anderson looked comfortable as he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two hits in seven consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Jayce Brandes, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Ty Brandes, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Central Catholic sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-8 victory over Heritage on Monday.
Cole Carroll was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Melbourne Central Catholic's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is undefeated (and 4-6 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Jayden McNamara, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Merritt Island is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. Melbourne Central Catholic's victory ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Merritt Island has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Melbourne Central Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Merritt Island's way against Melbourne Central Catholic in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, as Merritt Island made off with a 10-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Merritt Island since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
