Miners
| 03/27/25 vs Marathon | 6 |
| 03/19/25 vs McKeel Academy | 3 |
| 03/18/25 vs Santa Fe Catholic | 5 |
| 03/17/25 vs Lakeland | 7 |
| 03/14/25 @ Lake Region | 7 |
| + 13 more games |
The Fort Meade Miners are taking a road trip to challenge the Hardee Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Fort Meade is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
Fort Meade took a loss when they played away from home last Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They came out on top against Marathon by a score of 6-3.
Owen Harrell made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. What's more, he gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in February. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, DeMarion Abrams was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Noe Jaramillo also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Fort Meade hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Hardee waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They never let the Rams get on the board and left with a 3-0 victory.
Like Fort Meade, Hardee also got a great game from a two-way player: Ryan Rivas. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. Rivas also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Hardee is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-8 otherwise. Rivas was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
Rivas wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ryland Beumel, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Beumel has become a key player for Hardee: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 4-7 otherwise.
The win got Hardee back to even at 8-8. As for Fort Meade, their record is now 12-6.
Fort Meade's speedy runners might be the difference in Friday's match. Fort Meade has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Hardee, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Fort Meade continue to outrun the ball?
Fort Meade beat Hardee 5-2 when the teams last played back in February. The rematch might be a little tougher for Fort Meade since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
