The Countryside Cougars will head out on the road to square off against the IMG Academy Navy Ascenders at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Countryside 3.7, IMG Academy Navy 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Tuesday, Countryside was able to grind out a solid victory over Anclote, taking the game 8-5. That's two games straight that the Cougars have won by exactly three runs.
Countryside got a great performance from Brady Olson as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. What's more, Olson gave up only zero hits, the fewest he's had since back in February.
At the plate, Braeden Callahan and Luke Neubauer did most of the damage at the plate: Callahan scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3, while Neubauer scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. What's more, Callahan posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February. Cody Hollenbeck was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy Navy was not able to break out of their rough patch on Wednesday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They took a 6-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of Eau Gallie.
IMG Academy Navy also got a good showing from Ellsworth Elston, who tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, IMG Academy Navy saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Joonho Song, who went 1-for-4 with one triple. That triple was Song's first of the season.
Countryside is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight games. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. IMG Academy Navy's defeat dropped their record down to 8-6.
Countryside couldn't quite finish off IMG Academy Navy when the teams last played back in April of 2024 and fell 8-6. Can Countryside avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
