The Matanzas Pirates will take on the St. Joseph Academy Flashes at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Matanzas fell victim to Gainesville and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They fell just short of the Hurricanes by a score of 2-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Pirates have suffered since March 25, 2025.
Wiley Conner spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on four hits.
Meanwhile, St. Joseph Academy got themselves on the board against Old Plank Christian Academy on Friday, but Old Plank Christian Academy never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Defenders with a sharp 11-0 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Flashes.
Cullen Garner and Garrison Wade made a big impact while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Garner struck out seven batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Wade struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts Garner has posted since back in February of 2025. At bat, Garner went 1-for-3 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs, while Wade went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Michael Perez was incredible, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. The team also got some help courtesy of Bodie Fidgeon, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one triple, and two RBI.
Matanzas' loss was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 1-2. Even worse, they were so close so many times: the defeats came by an average of only 3.57 runs. As for St. Joseph Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 2-0.
Matanzas might still be hurting after the 11-0 loss they got from St. Joseph Academy in their previous matchup back in March of 2025. Can the Pirates avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
