The Blue Ridge Yellow Jackets will face off against the Florence Gophers at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
On Tuesday, Blue Ridge got the win against Winslow by a conclusive 11-1. The result was nothing new for the Yellow Jackets, who have now won ten matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Hunter Krause made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one double. That triple was his first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Karson Rosenthal, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Cooper Phillips, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with four runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Florence). They were the clear victors by a 28-3 margin over Coolidge on Wednesday. Winning may never get old, but the Gophers sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Ryin Leopoldino was incredible, getting on base in all six of his plate appearances with one home run, eight RBI, and three runs. Tanner Gammons was another key player, getting on base in five of his six plate appearances with five runs, three RBI, and one double.
Florence was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .469. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Coolidge only posted a batting average of .133.
Florence pushed their record up to 16-6-2 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 16.7 runs over those games. As for Blue Ridge, their victory bumped their record up to 14-6.
Blue Ridge suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Florence when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Will the Yellow Jackets have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
