Baseball Game Preview: IMG Academy Royal Ascenders vs. Naples Golden Eagles

The IMG Academy Royal Ascenders will head out to challenge the Naples Golden Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. IMG Academy Royal's pitching crew has only allowed 3.1 runs per game this season, so Naples' hitters will have their work cut out for them.

On Friday, IMG Academy Royal earned a 7-2 win over Hardee. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Ascenders.

Zach Brauer tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

Jaxson Vassallo

Hits (Career)

04/04/25 @ Hardee	4
03/04/25 vs Carrollwood Day	3
02/18/25 vs Central Pointe Christian Academy	3
03/28/25 @ Auburndale	1
03/18/25 vs Melbourne	1

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jaxson Vassallo, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 4-for-5. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Kanta Miyabe, who scored two runs while going 2-for-5.

IMG Academy Royal kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in four consecutive games.

Meanwhile, Naples was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They fell 9-4 to IMG Academy Gold.

Naples saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was CHARLIE REIGER, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. REIGER is becoming a predictor of the Golden Eagles' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 3-1 (and 5-13 when he doesn't). JACKSON MARTIN was another, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.

IMG Academy Royal's record now sits at 13-5. As for Naples, their loss dropped their record down to 8-14.