The American Heritage Patriots will square off against the Flanagan Falcons at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with American Heritage sitting on three straight wins and Flanagan on four.
American Heritage proved they can win big on Friday (they won by 12) and on Wednesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Mater Academy Charter, sneaking past 3-1.
Caden Garro looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, American Heritage got a big performance out of Jordan Rich, who went 1-for-2 with one home run. Another player making a difference was Sebastian Garavito, who went 1-for-2 with one home run.
American Heritage lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mater Academy Charter didn't launched any home runs.
Meanwhile, Flanagan made easy work of Nova on Wednesday and carried off an 8-2 victory.
Hayden Welsh spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on nine hits and racked up six Ks. He has become a key player for Flanagan: the team is 4-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 6-12 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Joel Herrera was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. What's more, he posted two doubles, the most he's had since back in February. Christian Duran-Robinson was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
American Heritage pushed their record up to 18-6 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Flanagan, their win bumped their record up to 10-14.
Flanagan's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: American Heritage hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .318. It's a different story for Flanagan, though, as they've only averaged .232. Will they be able to contain American Heritage's hitters? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
