The Estero Wildcats will square off against the Bonita Springs Bullsharks at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Estero took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They never let Cypress Lake get on the board and left with a 7-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won five in a row.
Not much got past Rylan Stewart, who gave up just two hits and racked up eight Ks to keep Cypress Lake off the board. Stewart has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Sandro Hernandez, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one triple. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in February of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Kohler Scott, who scored two runs while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Bonita Springs had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.8 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They were the clear victor by a 15-8 margin over the Seahawks. With that win, the Bullsharks brought their scoring average up to 6.8 runs per game.
Alan Palamino made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Palamino was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other pitching news, Jhon Rodriquez looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Angel Moreno was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Derek Hernandez Jr was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
Bonita Springs kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.6 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 contests they've averaged 9.4.
Bonita Springs' victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-2. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.4 runs over those games. As for Estero, their win bumped their record up to 7-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Estero has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bonita Springs struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
