The Weeki Wachee Hornets will challenge the Crystal River Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Crystal River took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Weeki Wachee, who comes in off a win.
On Thursday, Weeki Wachee got the win against Hudson by a conclusive 15-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Hornets have posted against the Cobras since March 20, 2017.
Christian Zahora
| 04/03/25 @ Hudson | 3 |
| 03/27/25 @ Fivay | 2 |
| 03/11/25 @ Citrus | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Crystal River | 1 |
| 03/19/25 vs Bishop McLaughlin Catholic | 1 |
Weeki Wachee let Saul Melendez and Christian Zahora run wild. Melendez got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs, four RBI, and one triple, while Zahora scored three runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Those three runs gave Zahora a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jayden Allen, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
Weeki Wachee kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 5.2 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matchups they've averaged 10.8.
Meanwhile, Crystal River fell victim to Weeki Wachee and their airtight pitching crew on Tuesday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Hornets. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Pirates' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
McKown Kaden was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up just one earned run off nine hits. He has become a key player for Crystal River: the team is 5-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-13 otherwise.
Weeki Wachee's win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-9. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.1 runs over those games. As for Crystal River, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-14 record this season.
Weeki Wachee was able to grind out a solid win over Crystal River in their previous meeting on Tuesday, winning 3-0. Do the Hornets have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pirates turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
