Baseball Game Preview: IMG Academy Ascenders vs. Doral Academy Firebirds

IMG Academy is on a 12-game streak of home wins, while Doral Academy is on a four-game streak of away wins: one of those streaks is about to end. IMG Academy will host Doral Academy at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (IMG Academy 2.1, Doral Academy 2.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.

IMG Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another highly-ranked state team: St. John's, who was ranked first in their home state at the time (IMG Academy was ranked first). IMG Academy was the clear victor by a 14-1 margin over St. John's on Wednesday. The Ascenders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by eight runs or more this season.

Chase Bentley looked comfortable as he tossed 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.

Kyler Meccage

Runs (Career)

03/26/25 vs St. John's	3
03/25/25 vs Western	1
03/28/24 vs Baylor	1
03/27/24 vs North Cobb Christian	1

On the hitting side, IMG Academy let Kyler Meccage and Sean Gamble run wild. Meccage got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and two RBI, while Gamble went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Those three runs gave Meccage a new career-high. Nathan Eisfelder was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.

IMG Academy hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in seven consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, Doral Academy won against St. Laurence on Tuesday with six runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. Doral Academy came out on top against T.C. Roberson by a score of 6-2.

Doral Academy's win bumped their record up to 17-2-1. As for IMG Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 16-1.

IMG Academy skirted past Doral Academy 8-7 when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Does IMG Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Doral Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.