Gateway is a perfect 3-0 against Wekiva since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Gateway Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Wekiva Mustangs at 6:30 p.m. Gateway is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
Gateway was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last matchup, but they sure didn't let that happen against Lake Buena Vista on Tuesday. Gateway put the hurt on Lake Buena Vista with a sharp 12-4 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Panthers considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Adrian Just made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Just was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs.
Diego Vazqueztell
| 02/28/25 @ Celebration | 3 |
| 03/11/25 vs Lake Buena Vista | 2 |
| 02/18/25 vs Wekiva | 2 |
| 02/13/25 vs Poinciana | 2 |
| 02/25/25 vs St. Cloud | 1 |
In other batting news, Diego Vazqueztell was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He has become a key player for Gateway: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-5 otherwise. Angel Escobar also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Gateway always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .538. They are 3-1 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Wekiva made sure to put some runs up on the board against Oak Ridge on Wednesday. Wekiva walked away with a 10-6 win over Oak Ridge. The Mustangs haven't had any issues with the Pioneers recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Wekiva got a massive performance out of Devon Johnson, who scored two runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Enrique Polanco, who scored four runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Gateway now has a winning record of 6-5. As for Wekiva, their record now sits at 5-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Gateway has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Wekiva struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Gateway's way against Wekiva when the teams last played back in February, as Gateway made off with a 14-2 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Gateway since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
