Baseball Game Preview: Island Coast Gators vs. Hardee Wildcats

The Island Coast Gators will venture away from home to face off against the Hardee Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Island Coast is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.

Island Coast barely beat Cypress Lake the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Everything went Island Coast's way against Cypress Lake on Friday as Island Coast made off with a 9-3 win. The victory continues a trend for the Gators in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won eight in a row.

Ryan Mueller tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.

Isaac Lopez

Stolen Base (Career)

03/14/25 @ Cypress Lake	4
02/21/25 vs North Fort Myers	3
02/28/25 vs Riverdale	2
02/14/25 @ Ida Baker	2
04/29/24 vs Dunbar	2

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Isaac Lopez, who scored two runs and stole Four bases. while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Austin Schoolcraft was another key player, going 1-for-5 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.

Meanwhile, Hardee was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They took a 6-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of Parrish Community.

Hardee saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Braden Tyson, who went 1-for-3 with one RBI.

Hardee's loss dropped their record down to 5-8. As for Island Coast, their win bumped their record up to 12-3.

Island Coast's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's match. Island Coast has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Hardee, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Island Coast continue to outrun the ball? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.