Vero Beach hasn't had much luck against Centennial recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Indians will square off against the Eagles at 6:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Vero Beach is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 10-3 margin over Treasure Coast. The win was nothing new for the Indians as they're now sitting on four straight.
Taylor Stevens spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on one hit and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Kylie Williams was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Crysaria Joseph was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last game, Centennial made sure to put some runs up on the board against Central on Monday. The Eagles never let the Cobras get on the board and left with a 15-0 victory. The win continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Cobras: they've now won eight in a row.
Hailey Brereton made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Brereton was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, Jaelyn Cooke and Giana Devries did most of the damage at the plate: Cooke went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double, while Devries went 1-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI Devries has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Kylie Coblentz, who got on base in two of her three plate appearances with two RBI and one run.
Centennial always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .710. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Vero Beach pushed their record up to 13-10 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Centennial, their record now sits at 14-7.
Vero Beach couldn't quite get it done against Centennial in their previous matchup back in March as they fell 5-0. Can the Indians avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
