vs
| 02/29/24 - Home | 2-1 W |
| 03/10/23 - Away | 4-2 W |
| 03/04/22 - Home | 6-0 W |
| 04/08/21 - Home | 3-5 L |
| 03/25/21 - Away | 6-5 W |
| + 5 more games |
Wesley Chapel has gone 8-2 against Sunlake recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Wesley Chapel Wildcats will head out to take on the Sunlake Seahawks at 7:00 p.m. Wesley Chapel will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each match than the last.
Wesley Chapel was handed a eight-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Monday. They skirted past Wiregrass Ranch 4-3. The win was a breath of fresh air for the Wildcats as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Eli Chana tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in May of 2024.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Nolan Hartley, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. That's the most hits he has posted since back in May of 2024. Mills Carrillo also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Sunlake hadn't done well against Land O' Lakes recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Sunlake narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Land O' Lakes 5-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Seahawks have posted against the Gators since April 23, 2018.
Sunlake also got a great performance from Wyatt Dion as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over six innings pitched. Dion also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Sunlake is 3-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-2 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Sunlake's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Matt Anthony, who went 1-for-2 with one triple and one run. Mario Perez was another, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Wesley Chapel's win was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 5-4. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Sunlake, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-3 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wesley Chapel has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Sunlake struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Wesley Chapel skirted past Sunlake 2-1 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Wesley Chapel since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
