Baseball Preview: Heritage Panthers vs. Space Coast Vipers
Heritage is 9-1 against Space Coast since April of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Heritage Panthers will head out on the road to face off against the Space Coast Vipers at 6:00 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
In what's become a running theme this season, Heritage gave their fans yet another huge victory on Monday. They were the clear victor by an 18-2 margin over Brevard HEAT. While fans of Heritage might be used to big wins, the 16-run margin marked the team's biggest one yet.
Noriega Gonzalez made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Gonzalez has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single hit in three consecutive pitching appearances. Gonzalez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Austin Maccardle was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Jordan McCray, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Space Coast can finally bid farewell to their 19-game losing streak dating back to last season thanks to their game on Friday. They came out on top against Reborn Christian Academy by a score of 15-11. Space Coast's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Like Heritage, Space Coast also got a great game from a two-way player: Michael Webster. He kept things locked down with no earned run or hits while striking out ten over 4.1 innings pitched. Webster was also big at the plate, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Eslie Comford was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. AC Curcio was another key contributor, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with two RBI.
Heritage is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six contests, which provided a nice bump to their 13-7 record this season. As for Space Coast, their win ended a seven-game drought at home and bumped them up to 1-18.
Space Coast's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Heritage has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .437. It's a different story for Space Coast, though, as they've only averaged .350. Will they be able to contain Heritage's hitters?
Everything went Heritage's way against Space Coast when the teams last played two weeks ago as Heritage made off with a 14-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Heritage since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
