A feisty cat fight will be fought as Barron Collier Cougars challenge Estero Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Barron Collier has given up an average of 11 runs per game this season, but Wednesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Barron Collier is headed into Wednesday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Friday. They came up short against Gulf Coast, falling 19-5. The matchup marked the Cougars' lowest-scoring contest so far this season.
Gianna Frino was cooking despite her team's loss, going 2-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. Sheila Forbes was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Even though they lost, Barron Collier hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most three strikeouts in six consecutive games.
Meanwhile, while Estero put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Gateway Charter. Estero put the hurt on Gateway Charter with a sharp 19-0 victory. Considering the Wildcats have won seven matches by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Annika Jarvi made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Jarvi was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI. Those three RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Lillian Peregrin and Dena Peregrin did most of the damage at the plate: Lillian went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI, while Dena went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI Lillian has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Avery Sanchez, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Estero pushed their record up to 8-5 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to strikeouts: they averaged an imposing 6.75 strikeouts in those games compared to only 1.56 in the others. As for Barron Collier, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-4.
Wednesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Barron Collier hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. However, it's not like Estero struggles in that department as they've averaged .391. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Barron Collier took their victory against Estero in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-4. Does Barron Collier have another victory up their sleeve, or will Estero turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
