The Citrus Hurricanes will head out to square off against the Crystal River Pirates at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Citrus had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Central on Tuesday. The Hurricanes blew past the Bears 14-4. Winning may never get old, but the Hurricanes sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Paisley Williamson made a splash while hitting and pitching. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. Williamson was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and five RBI. What's more, she posted three runs, the most she's had since back in February.
Makayla Hetman
| 04/08/25 vs Central | 5 |
| 03/18/25 @ Lecanto | 2 |
| 03/14/25 vs South Sumter | 2 |
| 03/06/25 @ Weeki Wachee | 2 |
| 02/28/25 vs Pasco | 2 |
In other batting news, Citrus got a massive performance out of Makayla Hetman, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those five RBI gave Hetman a new career-high. Makaila Anderson also deserves some recognition as she hit her first triple of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Crystal River). They never let Weeki Wachee get on the board and left with a 17-0 win on Tuesday. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matches by six runs or more this season.
The team relied heavily on Riley Castle, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Athena Childs was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Crystal River kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive contests.
Crystal River's victory was their 11th straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 16-4. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.4 runs on average over those games. As for Citrus, their record now sits at 9-7.
Wednesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Citrus hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. However, it's not like Crystal River struggles in that department as they've averaged .314. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Citrus came up short against Crystal River in their previous matchup back in February, falling 7-2. Can the Hurricanes avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
