The Vanguard Knights will face off against the Williston Red Devils at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Williston will be up against a hot Vanguard squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. Vanguard was the clear victors by a 14-1 margin over West Port on Friday. The contest marked the Knights' most dominant win of the season so far.
Bobby Blanco
| 02/21/25 @ West Port | 0 |
| 02/14/25 vs Interlachen | 1 |
| 02/11/25 vs Leesburg | 1 |
Bobby Blanco and Cooper Ragle made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Blanco pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Ragle pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Blanco has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one hit in three consecutive appearances. At bat, Blanco scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Ragle scored a run while going 2-for-3. What's more, Ragle posted two hits, the most he's had since back in March of 2024.
In other batting news, Jacob ?Jake? Wells was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. Clayton ?CT? Antonucci was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Vanguard hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as West Port struck out eight times.
Meanwhile, Williston has relied on a stalwart pitcher averaging 3.5 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Crescent City as Williston made off with a 21-11 victory. The Red Devils might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won four games by ten runs or more this season.
Williston got a massive performance out of Braige Schneider, who went 3-for-4 with four stolen bases, four runs, and four RBI. Another player making a difference was Anthony Gardea, who scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Williston's win was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs over those games. As for Vanguard, their victory bumped their record up to 5-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Vanguard has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Williston struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Vanguard came out on top in a nail-biter against Williston when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Does Vanguard have another victory up their sleeve, or will Williston turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
