The Merritt Island Christian Cougars will take on the Space Coast Vipers at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Merritt Island Christian took a loss when they played away from home last Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Calvary Chapel Academy a 14-0 shutout. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Jayvon Morris made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Morris was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Maddux Martinson and Bode Handwork did most of the damage at the plate: Martinson scored three runs while going 1-for-3, while Handwork scored three runs while going 3-for-4. That's the most runs Handwork has posted since back in March of 2024. Brayden Murphy was another key player, scoring a run.
Merritt Island Christian always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Calvary Chapel Academy only posted an OBP of .000.
Meanwhile, everything went Space Coast's way against Cocoa on Friday as Space Coast made off with a 17-0 victory.
Like Merritt Island Christian, Space Coast also got a great game from a two-way player: EJ Clouser. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Clouser was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Space Coast got a massive performance out of Matthew Constantino, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Jacob Leos, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Merritt Island Christian's win was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 1-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Space Coast, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Merritt Island Christian came up short against Space Coast in their previous matchup last Friday, falling 5-1. Will Merritt Island Christian 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.
