The Weeki Wachee Hornets will head out on the road to take on the Pasco Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Weeki Wachee's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Pasco's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Weeki Wachee will bounce into Thursday's matchup after beating Land O' Lakes, who they had gone 1-8 against in their nine prior meetings. Weeki Wachee came out on top against Land O' Lakes by a score of 6-3 on Wednesday. That three run margin sets a new team best for the Hornets this season.
JD Sammons
| 02/18/25 @ Hernando | 6 |
| 03/04/25 vs Central | 4 |
| 03/12/25 @ Land O' Lakes | 1 |
| 02/11/25 vs Lecanto | 1 |
JD Sammons spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits. He is becoming a predictor of Weeki Wachee's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 2-1 (and 4-5 when he doesn't).
At the plate, Weeki Wachee's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jack Strong, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4. That's the most runs Strong has posted since back in March of 2024. Another was Jayden Allen, who scored a run.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Pasco). They blew past Lake Gibson 11-1 on Wednesday. The Pirates have beaten the Braves the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Braves has come to flipping the script.
Carson Wheatley made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. Wheatley was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with one home run. That home run was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Boomer Newton and Bryce Mangiaracina did most of the damage at the plate: Newton went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Mangiaracina went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that Newton launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Yeceil 'JJ' Lisojo, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Pasco kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive contests.
Weeki Wachee is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. Pasco's record now sits at 7-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Weeki Wachee has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Pasco struggles in that department as they've been averaging 12.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Weeki Wachee skirted past Pasco 2-0 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. The rematch might be a little tougher for Weeki Wachee since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
