The Wiregrass Ranch Bulls will challenge the Land O' Lakes Gators at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Wiregrass Ranch 4, Land O' Lakes 3.2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Last Thursday, Wiregrass Ranch came up short against Springstead and fell 7-2. The Bulls have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Wiregrass Ranch got a good showing from Chris Hong, who didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. Hong has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Wiregrass Ranch saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jorge Carrero, who went 1-for-2 with one double.
Meanwhile, Land O' Lakes came tearing into Friday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 6-5 W against the Royal Knights.
A.J. Romano looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. That's the fewest hits he has allowed over his last five games.
On the hitting side, Santi Busot was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Caleb Rodriguez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-1.
Land O' Lakes pushed their record up to 12-8 with the win, which was their fourth straight on the road. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Wiregrass Ranch, their loss dropped their record down to 4-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wiregrass Ranch has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Land O' Lakes struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Wiregrass Ranch came out on top in a nail-biter against Land O' Lakes in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 4-3. Will Wiregrass Ranch repeat their success, or does Land O' Lakes has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
