Baseball Game Preview: IMG Academy Gold Ascenders vs. American Heritage Stallions

The IMG Academy Gold Ascenders will challenge the American Heritage Stallions at 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday.

IMG Academy Gold came into their game on Monday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They lost 8-1 to Coral Springs. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Ascenders have suffered since February 28th.

Meanwhile, there's no place like home for American Heritage, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. Everything went their way against Pembroke Pines Charter on Monday as American Heritage made off with an 11-1 win. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Stallions considering their two-run performance the game before.

Noah Garfinkel spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up six Ks. He has become a key player for American Heritage: the team is 5-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-5 otherwise.

At the plate, Alex Zhao was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February. Ricky Bellantoni was another key player, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

American Heritage's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-7. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for IMG Academy Gold, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-7.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. IMG Academy Gold has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like American Heritage struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.