The Mariner Tritons are taking a road trip to square off against the Evangelical Christian Sentinels at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Mariner has three straight wins, Evangelical Christian has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Mariner hadn't beaten North Fort Myers on the road since March 26, 2021 but that history sure didn't bother them on Thursday. Mariner came out on top against North Fort Myers by a score of 5-2.
Donald (DJ) Dwire
| 03/27/25 @ North Fort Myers | 1 |
| 03/14/25 vs Ida Baker | 1 |
| 03/06/25 vs Fort Myers | 0 |
| 02/28/25 vs North Fort Myers | 1 |
| 02/17/25 @ Charlotte | 2 |
| 02/10/25 @ Lemon Bay | 2 |
Donald (DJ) Dwire tossed a big game, striking out ten batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Princeton (PJ) Marino, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Pablo Hernandez also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Mariner kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in February.
Meanwhile, Evangelical Christian came up short against Aubrey Rogers on Thursday and fell 11-6.
Slater Smith was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. Evangelical Christian is 2-1 when Smith posts two or more runs, but 6-10 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Anthony Cabrera, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3.
Mariner's record is now 13-5. As for Evangelical Christian, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mariner has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Evangelical Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Mariner couldn't quite get it done against Evangelical Christian in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 as they fell 7-4. Can Mariner avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
