Baseball Game Preview: Gulf Coast H HEAT vs. Ruskin Christian Warriors

The Gulf Coast H HEAT will head out to square off against the Ruskin Christian Warriors at 3:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Having struggled with six defeats in a row, Gulf Coast H turned things around against Central Florida Christian Academy last Monday. They walked away with a 15-10 victory over the Eagles. The HEAT's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.

Westin Lacey

Batters Struck Out

03/10/25 vs Central Florida Christian Academy	4
02/28/25 @ Keswick Christian	3
02/27/25 vs Foundation Christian Academy	0
04/29/24 @ Bradenton Christian	1
04/23/24 @ Foundation Christian Academy	5

Westin Lacey made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. He was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He has become a key player for Gulf Coast H: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 0-6 otherwise.

In other batting news, Travis Beiler was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs. Trey Hedrick also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

Ruskin Christian played in-conference for the first time on Friday and they got just the result they were looking for. They put the hurt on Riverview Academy of Math and Science with a sharp 8-2 win.

The team relied heavily on Angel Martinez III, who scored a run and stole Three bases. while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged two or more in each of the last three games he's played. Another player making a difference was Aadi Cayasso, who went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one RBI.

Gulf Coast H's record now sits at 2-7. As for Ruskin Christian, their record now sits at 4-2-1.

Gulf Coast H suffered a grim 17-6 defeat to Ruskin Christian in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Can Gulf Coast H avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.