The Varela Vipers will venture away from home to challenge the Mater Lakes Academy Bears at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. Mater Lakes Academy took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Varela, who comes in off a win.
Varela was handed a heart-breaking two-run loss in their last game, but they sure didn't let that happen against Hialeah Gardens on Friday. Everything went Varela's way against Hialeah Gardens as Varela made off with a 13-5 victory. The Vipers' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Christian Ponte tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. He also tossed two walks, which is notable because Varela is undefeated when he allows at most two walks, but 2-3 otherwise.
Juan Chacon
| 02/28/25 @ Hialeah Gardens | 2 |
| 04/18/24 @ Killian | 1 |
| 04/01/24 vs Coral Park | 1 |
| 03/21/24 vs Brito | 1 |
| 03/20/24 vs Westland Hialeah | 1 |
On the hitting side, Juan Chacon was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, four RBI, and two runs. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Alejandro Ponte also deserves some recognition as he stole his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Mater Lakes Academy came up short against Miami Christian on Friday and fell 8-4.
Mater Lakes Academy also got a good showing from ENRIQUE GOMEZ, who pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. GOMEZ has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single hit any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, Mater Lakes Academy saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was JAMES GIL, who scored a run while going 2-for-4. Jayden Rodriguez was another, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
Mater Lakes Academy suffered their first road defeat, dropping their record down to 4-2-2. As for Varela, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-3.
Varela took their victory against Mater Lakes Academy when the teams last played back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Varela since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
