Baseball Game Preview: Dunbar Tigers vs. Gateway Eagles

Dunbar is 0-3 against Gateway since April of 2023 but things could change on Thursday. Dunbar will host Gateway at 6:00 p.m. Dunbar has given up an average of 19 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Dunbar is headed into Thursday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fifth straight game two weeks ago. They lost 11-0 to East Lee County.

Meanwhile, Gateway had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Monday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Seahawks a 16-0 shutout. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 matchups by six runs or more this season.

Gateway got a great performance from Hunter Squire as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Squire has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jacob Hardman, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Otniel Diaz was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.

Gateway was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .379. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cape Coral only posted a batting average of .118.

Gateway pushed their record up to 11-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 10.6 hits in those games compared to only 5.2 in the others. As for Dunbar, their loss dropped their record down to 1-8.

Dunbar might still be hurting after the 27-2 defeat they got from Gateway when the teams last played back in February. Will Dunbar have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.