Baseball Game Preview: Gainesville Hurricanes vs. Matanzas Pirates

The Gainesville Hurricanes will challenge the Matanzas Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Gainesville has given up an average of 8.3 runs per game this season, but Monday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Gainesville came up short against Buchholz on Thursday, falling 11-4. The Hurricanes have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Gainesville saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jackson Dugan, who went 1-for-2 with one RBI.

Meanwhile, Matanzas was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their 14th straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 3-2 heartbreaker at the hands of Belleview.

Matanzas' loss dropped their record down to 1-23. As for Gainesville, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-11.

Matanzas' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Gainesville has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .433. It's a different story for Matanzas, though, as they've only averaged .359. Will they be able to contain Gainesville's hitters?

Everything went Gainesville's way against Matanzas in their previous matchup back in April of 2019, as Gainesville made off with a 10-4 win. Will the Hurricanes repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.