Manatee is 2-8 against Braden River since February of 2020 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Hurricanes will take on the Pirates at 7:00 p.m. Manatee's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Braden River's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Manatee is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Northeast 9-1. The Hurricanes might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
Cooper Richardson
| 04/15/25 vs Northeast | 1 |
| 04/10/25 vs Signal Mountain | 0 |
| 04/04/25 vs Palmetto | 1 |
Cooper Richardson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Ashton Hovda was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Bryan Rodriguez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Manatee was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .458. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northeast only posted a batting average of .200.
Meanwhile, while Braden River put up some runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Hollins. The Pirates won by a run and slipped past the Royals 1-0. That's two games straight that the Pirates have won by just one run.
Hunter Myrick looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three).
At the plate, Braden River saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Camden Pope, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Manatee is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-9 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Braden River, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 13-10.
Braden River's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Manatee hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .321. It's a different story for Braden River, though, as they've only averaged .253. Will they be able to contain Manatee's hitters?
Manatee couldn't quite get it done against Braden River when the teams last played back in March as they fell 8-5. Can the Hurricanes avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
