The Vanguard Knights will square off against the Citrus Hurricanes at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Vanguard has four straight wins, Citrus has six straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Vanguard came out on top against Gainesville on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive seven-run second inning. The Knights put the hurt on the Hurricanes with a sharp 10-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Knights, who have now won three games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Vanguard got a great performance from Martin McKinney as he didn't allow a single earned run over 5.2 innings pitched.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Spencer Payne, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and one triple. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March of 2025. Another player making a difference was David Robinson, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Vanguard kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Gainesville only managed four.
Meanwhile, Citrus came up short against Hernando on Thursday, falling 9-2.
Landon Sanders was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
Vanguard's win bumped their record up to 4-0. As for Citrus, their loss dropped their record down to 0-3.
Vanguard's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's matchup. The Knights have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.8 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Citrus, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Vanguard continue to outrun the ball?
Vanguard skirted past Citrus 3-1 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Knights repeat their success, or do the Hurricanes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
