The Bayshore Bruins will take on the Saint Stephen's Episcopal Falcons at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Bayshore took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They never let Gulf Coast HEAT get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory. The high-scoring effort was just what the Bruins needed considering they were shutout in their previous game.
Diego Villegas made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance gave him a new career-low in hits. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Tucker Pope
| 02/21/25 vs Gulf Coast HEAT | 4 |
| 04/22/24 vs Gibbs | 2 |
| 04/22/24 vs Gibbs | 1 |
| 04/02/24 vs Booker | 1 |
| 03/14/24 vs Gulf Coast HEAT | 1 |
In other batting news, Tucker Pope was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing four bases while going 2-for-2. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in stolen bases. Another player making a difference was Abraham Rodriguez, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2.
Bayshore always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Saint Stephen's Episcopal earned an 8-5 win over The Classical Academy of Sarasota last Friday.
Like Bayshore, Saint Stephen's Episcopal also got a great game from a two-way player: Hussain Lalani. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Lalani was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jackson Riffe, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. Jeremiah Cox was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
The victory got Bayshore back to even at 2-2. As for Saint Stephen's Episcopal, the win got them back to even at 1-1.
Bayshore skirted past Saint Stephen's Episcopal 5-4 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will Bayshore repeat their success, or does Saint Stephen's Episcopal have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
