Baseball Game Preview: Vanguard Knights vs. Matanzas Pirates

Vanguard is a perfect 3-0 against Matanzas since March of 2024 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Knights will head out to square off against the Pirates at 6:30 p.m. Vanguard is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.8 runs per game this season.

Vanguard was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last match, but they sure didn't let that happen against Gainesville on Tuesday. The Knights blew past the Hurricanes 13-1. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won ten games by six runs or more so far this season.

Cooper Ragle tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over five innings pitched. He has been consistent : he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances.

Nate Navarro

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/08/25 vs Gainesville	6
03/18/25 @ Gainesville	4
03/28/25 vs Forest	2
03/25/25 @ Leesburg	2
04/02/25 vs Dunnellon	1

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Nate Navarro, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. Those six RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Clayton ?CT? Antonucci, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Vanguard always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .516. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Gainesville only posted an OBP of .222.

Meanwhile, Matanzas was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their 12th straight loss. They came up short against Beachside, falling 9-0. The shutout was out of character for the Pirates seeing as the last time the team failed to score was back in March.

Vanguard has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Matanzas, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-21.

Vanguard came out on top in a nail-biter against Matanzas in their previous matchup back in March, sneaking past 8-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.