Island Coast has gone 8-2 against Cypress Lake recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Island Coast Gators will head out to square off against the Cypress Lake Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Island Coast is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Island Coast took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They never let Golden Gate get on the board and left with a 6-0 win. Considering the Gators have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Bobby Wilenius
| 03/13/25 vs Golden Gate | 9 |
| 03/11/24 @ Lehigh | 8 |
| 04/29/24 vs Dunbar | 5 |
| 02/28/25 vs Riverdale | 4 |
| 02/19/25 vs Ida Baker | 4 |
The result came thanks to Bobby Wilenius's shutout, as he gave up just two hits and racked up nine Ks. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, Isaac Lopez was a standout: he scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Logan Hawkins, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Cypress Lake hadn't done well against Riverdale recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Cypress Lake won by a run and slipped past Riverdale 1-0. The victory was some much needed relief for the Panthers as it spelled an end to their three-game losing streak.
Cypress Lake's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Harrison Small, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one RBI. That triple was Small's first of the season.
Island Coast pushed their record up to 11-3 with the victory, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Cypress Lake, their record now sits at 4-7.
Island Coast's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's matchup. Island Coast has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Cypress Lake, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Island Coast continue to outrun the ball?
Island Coast came out on top in a nail-biter against Cypress Lake in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for Island Coast since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
