Western and Cypress Bay are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The Western Wildcats will look to defend their home field on Tuesday against the Cypress Bay Lightning at 6:30 p.m. Neither Western nor Cypress Bay posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.
Western fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Cooper City on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Cowboys by a score of 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Wildcats have suffered against the Cowboys since April 22, 2015.
Zach Beyra
| 03/10/25 vs Cooper City | 11 |
| 02/25/25 @ St. Thomas Aquinas | 7 |
| 04/04/24 vs Taravella | 7 |
| 02/18/25 @ Flanagan | 6 |
| 03/29/24 vs Melbourne | 6 |
Zach Beyra was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out 11 batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. Those 11 strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, Taisuky Rodriguez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole Two bases. while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in stolen bases. Keagan Pita also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Cypress Bay came up short against Archbishop Carroll on Monday and fell 4-1.
Cypress Bay also got a good showing from Carson Cook, who pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Cook has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Cypress Bay saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Diego Baron, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Cypress Bay now has a losing record of 5-6. As for Western, their loss dropped their record down to 7-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Western has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cypress Bay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Western took their victory against Cypress Bay in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1. Does Western have another victory up their sleeve, or will Cypress Bay turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
