Baseball Game Preview: Stratford Tigers vs. Auburndale Apaches

For the second straight game, Stratford will face off against Auburndale. The Tigers will take on the Apaches at 4:45 p.m. on Thursday. The last four games Stratford has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Stratford will face Auburndale after dropping another heartbreaker against Auburndale on Tuesday, which marked the second time in a row the team's come within 2.1 of beating them. The Tigers fell just short of the Apaches by a score of 2-0. It was the first time this season that the Tigers let down their fans at home.

Drew Gage was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over 4.2 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.

Jack Tubbs

Stolen Base

04/29/25 vs Auburndale	2
04/24/25 vs Medford	1
04/22/25 vs Marathon	1
04/15/25 @ Newman	3
04/11/25 vs Athens	2

At the plate, Stratford saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jack Tubbs, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases. Tubbs has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played.

The win keeps Auburndale at an undefeated 8-0. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 11.3 runs this season. As for Stratford, their defeat was their first in the conference, dropping their conference record down to 4-1 and their overall record down to 8-3.