The Sebastian River Sharks will head out on the road to challenge the South Fork Bulldogs at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Sebastian River is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They walked away with a 12-7 victory over Westwood on Tuesday. Considering the Sharks' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Jamison Jones looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Sebastian River got a big performance out of Brandon Morrero, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. That's the most runs Morrero has posted since back in March of 2024. Noah Duerden also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Sebastian River kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, South Fork beat Okeechobee 7-3 on Tuesday. The Bulldogs have beaten the Brahmans the last three times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Brahmans has come to flipping the script.
Jackson Turull looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because South Fork is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-4 otherwise.
At the plate, Jason Dennis and Eli Smith did most of the damage at the plate: Dennis scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Smith scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. Will Vining was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one triple and one run.
Sebastian River's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-5. As for South Fork, their record is now 3-5.
Sebastian River's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. Sebastian River has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for South Fork, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Sebastian River continue to outrun the ball?
Sebastian River came up short against South Fork in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, falling 5-1. Can Sebastian River avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
