The Wiregrass Ranch Bulls will venture away from home to face off against the Sunlake Seahawks at 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Wiregrass Ranch is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
On Monday, Wiregrass Ranch made easy work of Zephyrhills Christian Academy and carried off a 17-7 victory. The result was nothing new for the Bulls, who have now won five matchups by ten runs or more so far this season.
Kayla Valentin made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out 11 batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off only one hit. Valentin was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in February of 2024.
Zoe Troupe
| 03/24/25 vs Zephyrhills Christian Academy | 3 |
| 03/12/25 @ Pasco | 2 |
| 02/25/25 vs Land O' Lakes | 2 |
| 03/07/25 vs Springstead | 1 |
| 03/04/25 @ Zephyrhills | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Zoe Troupe, who scored three runs and stole three bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Aurora Thompson, who scored two runs while getting on base in both of her plate appearances.
Wiregrass Ranch always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .688. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Zephyrhills Christian Academy only posted an OBP of .414.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Sunlake, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. They had just enough and edged out Zephyrhills 4-3. The Seahawks haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their ninth consecutive win against them.
Sydney Walker looked comfortable as she pitched three innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off three hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Sunlake saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zoey Cropper, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBI. Ava Rapp also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Sunlake's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Wiregrass Ranch, their record now sits at 9-3.
Both Wiregrass Ranch and Sunlake just can't seem to miss. Wiregrass Ranch has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.3 hits per game. However, it's not like Sunlake struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Wiregrass Ranch was able to grind out a solid victory over Sunlake in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, winning 8-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for Wiregrass Ranch since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
