River Ridge has gone a perfect 9-0 against Gulf recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Wednesday. The Royal Knights will be playing at home against the Buccaneers at 6:00 p.m. River Ridge's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Gulf's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
River Ridge will bounce into Wednesday's game after beating Mitchell, who they had gone 0-9 against in their nine prior meetings. The Royal Knights came out on top against the Mustangs by a score of 8-4 on Tuesday.
Cameron Kessell was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double and one RBI.
Carson Cooley
| 04/01/25 vs Mitchell | 1 |
| 03/25/25 @ Cypress Creek | 2 |
| 03/17/25 vs Nature Coast Tech | 0 |
| 03/12/25 @ Dunedin | 1 |
| 03/06/25 @ Land O' Lakes | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
In other pitching news, Carson Cooley looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
Kessell wasn't the only one making solid contact as seven players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Jack French, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. Tommy DeLoreto was another, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Gulf was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss. They lost 9-2 to Hudson.
River Ridge's win bumped their record up to 9-6. As for Gulf, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. River Ridge has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gulf struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went River Ridge's way against Gulf in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, as River Ridge made off with a 10-0 victory. Will the Royal Knights repeat their success, or do the Buccaneers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
