Baseball Game Preview: Leonard Lancers vs. Palm Beach Gardens Gators

Leonard hasn't had much luck against Palm Beach Gardens recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Leonard Lancers will take on the Palm Beach Gardens Gators at 6:30 p.m.

Leonard is headed into Thursday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their seventh straight game on Tuesday. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 3-2 heartbreaker at the hands of Santaluces.

Leonard saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Bryan Quiroz-Rivera, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Angel Ortiz-Santana also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Palm Beach Gardens, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 win over Oxbridge Academy on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Gators have posted since March 4, 2024.

Palm Beach Gardens let Tony Bieber and Ian Vertucci run wild. Bieber went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Vertucci went 2-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run. Bieber is becoming a predictor of Palm Beach Gardens' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Mason Ryder, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.

Palm Beach Gardens' win bumped their record up to 5-7. As for Leonard, their loss dropped their record down to 2-7.

Leonard might still be hurting after the 10-0 defeat they got from Palm Beach Gardens in their previous matchup back in April of 2019. Can Leonard avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.