Palm Beach Gardens is 2-8 against Wellington since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Gators will host the Wolverines at 7:00 p.m. Palm Beach Gardens is coming into the game hot, having won their last eight games.
Palm Beach Gardens is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Park Vista, who was ranked ninth at the time (Palm Beach Gardens was ranked 16th). The Gators came out on top in a nail-biter against the Cobras on Thursday, sneaking past 8-6.
Shea Towns looked comfortable as she tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kaman Reno, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Victoria Scott, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Wellington won against Seminole Ridge on Tuesday with ten runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. The Wolverines' pitchers stepped up to hand Dwyer a 10-0 shutout. The result was nothing new for the Wolverines, who have now won seven contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Tori Payne made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Payne was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Jasmine Jones was a standout: she earned two runs and three stolen bases. Kaylee Riles was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Wellington always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dwyer only posted an OBP of .240.
Palm Beach Gardens pushed their record up to 16-5 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Wellington, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 15-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Palm Beach Gardens has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Wellington struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Palm Beach Gardens couldn't quite get it done against Wellington in their previous meeting back in March as they fell 4-1. Will the Gators have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
