The Matanzas Pirates will face off against the University Titans at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with ten losses in a row dating back to last season, Matanzas turned things around against Interlachen on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Rams a 12-0 shutout. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Pirates' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.
Seth Avellar tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, Paul Trettner was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing Four bases. while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Wiley Connor, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, University was able to grind out a solid victory over New Smyrna Beach on Tuesday, taking the game 5-2. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Titans.
University also got a great performance from Landon Palmateer as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Palmateer has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, University saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Isiah Mejia, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Matanzas' first win this season bumped their record up to 1-9. As for University, they now have a winning record of 3-2-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Matanzas has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like University struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
