Baseball Game Preview: Mater Academy Charter Lions vs. Everglades Gators

The Mater Academy Charter Lions will face off against the Everglades Gators at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mater Academy Charter will be strutting in after a win while Everglades will be coming in after a loss.

Mater Academy Charter took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Dr. Krop with a sharp 12-2 victory. Considering the Lions' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.

Vladi Baldepina looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February.

At the plate, Yodelkis Quevedo was a standout: he scored three runs while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. Jonathan Esponda was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.

Mater Academy Charter always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .645. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Meanwhile, Everglades was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took a 9-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of Gulliver Prep.

Anthony Lugo was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Everglades' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 7-10 when he doesn't).

Mater Academy Charter's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-9-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Everglades, their loss dropped their record down to 9-11.

Mater Academy Charter took their win against Everglades when the teams last played back in May of 2022 by a conclusive 11-4 score. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Gators have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.