The Menendez Falcons are headed away from home for the first time to square off against the Beachside Barracudas at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Menendez is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Matanzas 9-3 on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Falcons have posted since March 8, 2024.
Brooks Cornelison
| 02/25/25 vs Matanzas | 4 |
| 02/21/25 vs Mandarin | 2 |
| 02/15/25 vs Lincoln | 1 |
| 04/17/24 vs Nease | 1 |
| 04/09/24 @ Ponte Vedra | 2 |
| + 5 more games |
Brooks Cornelison made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Phillip McLaughlin looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Back at the plate, AJ Grueser was excellent, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs. Reeve Power was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Beachside got themselves on the board against St. Joseph Academy on Tuesday, but St. Joseph Academy never followed suit. They had just enough and edged out the Flashes 1-0.
Alex Gwaltney tossed a big game, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over six innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Beachside's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Gavin Nickel, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Zack Gwaltney also deserves some recognition as he stole his first stolen base of the season.
Menendez's record is now 2-3. As for Beachside, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-6.
Menendez came up short against Beachside in their previous meeting back in February of 2024, falling 5-2. Can Menendez avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
