Mulberry is 1-9 against Hardee since April of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Panthers will challenge the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Mulberry 3.4, Hardee 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Mulberry will bounce into Tuesday's contest after beating Fort Meade, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Panthers had just enough and edged out the Miners 3-2. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Miners recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Jayson Blouin spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on eight hits.
Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Hardee walked away with it. They never let the Chargers get on the board and left with a 19-0 win on Monday. The Wildcats' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Jeremiah Cabrera made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in 11 consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February.
In other batting news, Ryland Beumel was incredible, going 2-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Leo Marrero was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Hardee always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .633. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
The victory made it two in a row for Hardee and bumps their season record up to 10-13. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Mulberry, their victory bumped their record up to 18-7.
Hardee's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Mulberry hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .313. It's a different story for Hardee, though, as they've only averaged .213. Will they be able to contain Mulberry's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
