Softball Game Preview: Mariner Tritons vs. Bonita Springs Bullsharks

The Mariner Tritons will head out to face off against the Bonita Springs Bullsharks at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Mariner has four straight victories, Bonita Springs has nine straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

While Mariner's win against Southwest Florida Christian wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Tritons had just enough and edged out the King's 1-0 on Monday. Give the Tritons' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's fourth straight shutout.

Gabi Winters

Batters Struck Out

04/07/25 vs Southwest Florida Christian	12
04/04/25 @ Cape Coral	11
04/01/25 vs Port Charlotte	19
03/27/25 @ North Fort Myers	6
03/26/25 vs Charlotte	10
+ 10 more games

The result came thanks to Gabi Winters's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 15 consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Calleigh Buzard and Morgan Tucker did most of the damage at the plate: Buzard scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances, while Tucker went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases Buzard has posted since back in April of 2024.

Meanwhile, Bonita Springs started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Port Charlotte. They lost 12-2 to the Pirates on Monday.

Mariner's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.0 runs on average over those games. As for Bonita Springs, their loss dropped their record down to 1-12.

Mariner was able to grind out a solid victory over Bonita Springs when the teams last played back in April of 2023, winning 9-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Tritons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.