Cobras
| 02/27/25 vs Melbourne Central Catholic | 9 |
| 02/25/25 @ Merritt Island | 3 |
| 02/21/25 @ Vero Beach | 0 |
| 02/18/25 @ John Carroll Catholic | 3 |
| 02/17/25 @ Melbourne | 3 |
| + 6 more games |
The Central Cobras are taking a road trip to take on the Suncoast Chargers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Central took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 9-5 win over Melbourne Central Catholic. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Cobras as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
Rupert Blackwood Jr tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since February 4th.
At the plate, Owen Ruel was incredible, going 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Timothy Stevens was another key player, scoring a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Central lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Suncoast). Their pitcher stepped up to hand Port St. Lucie an 11-0 shutout on Thursday. The Chargers have beaten the Jaguars the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Jaguars has come to flipping the script.
Hayden Neihoff looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only a hit over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Suncoast is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-2 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Lee Ellis, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI, three runs, and two doubles. Those runs marked the first that he scored this season. Another player making a difference was Joshua Burnston, who went 1-for-2 with four RBI, one triple, and one stolen base.
Central's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-4-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs over those games. As for Suncoast, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Suncoast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Central suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Suncoast in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can Central avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
