Crystal River and Dunnellon are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2019, but likely not for long. The Pirates will square off against the Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Crystal River's pitching crew has only allowed 1.6 runs per game this season, so Dunnellon's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Crystal River fought the good fight in their extra-innings match against Trenton last Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Tigers by a score of 4-3. The Pirates' loss signaled the end of their eight-game winning streak.
Violet Flynn
| 04/22/25 @ Trenton | 12 |
| 04/17/25 @ Lecanto | 12 |
| 04/15/25 vs Springstead | 16 |
| 04/09/25 vs Citrus | 10 |
| 04/07/25 vs Trenton | 12 |
| + 17 more games |
Violet Flynn spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 22 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Mackenzie Herrick made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, with a playoff win on the line, Dunnellon rose to the challenge on Tuesday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 6-5 win over the Hornets. The victory was familiar territory for the Tigers, who have now won three contests in a row.
Makayla Duncan made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up five earned runs off nine hits. Duncan was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs.
In other batting news, Samantha Bernstein was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high. Aubriana McCullough was another key player, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with one run.
Dunnellon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Weeki Wachee only posted an OBP of .355.
Dunnellon's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 11-13. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Crystal River, their defeat dropped their record down to 20-5.
Everything went Crystal River's way against Dunnellon in their previous meeting back in March, as Crystal River made off with an 8-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pirates since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
