IMG Academy is a perfect 8-0 against Doral Academy since March of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Ascenders will be playing at home against the Firebirds at 3:00 p.m. IMG Academy will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.
IMG Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Jesuit, who was ranked 13th at the time (IMG Academy was ranked first). The Ascenders came out on top against the Tigers by a score of 7-2 on Thursday.
Kyler Meccage
| 04/03/25 @ Jesuit | 3 |
| 03/26/25 vs St. John's | 2 |
| 03/27/25 vs Doral Academy | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Western | 1 |
| 02/12/25 vs Lakewood Ranch | 1 |
Kyler Meccage was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one hit in ten consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Chase Bentley tossed a big game, tossing six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
Back at the plate, IMG Academy got a massive performance out of Kelvyn Paulino, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Sean Gamble, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Doral Academy, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Downtown Doral an 18-0 shutout on Tuesday. The Firebirds might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 13 matches by six runs or more this season.
Santiago Ortiz looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Leandro Hernandez was a standout: he got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Gabriel Milano, who went 3-for-4 with four RBI, two runs, and two doubles.
Doral Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .656. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Downtown Doral only posted an OBP of .077.
Doral Academy is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 11 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-3-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for IMG Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 18-1.
IMG Academy took their win against Doral Academy in their previous meeting last Thursday by a conclusive 15-3 score. Do the Ascenders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Firebirds turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
