The Gulf Coast Sharks will square off against the Bonita Springs Bullsharks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Gulf Coast has seven straight victories, Bonita Springs has ten straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
The home team had come away the winner the last five times Gulf Coast and Palmetto Ridge had met, but sadly for the fans who attended this one that wasn't the case. The Sharks were the clear victors by a 9-3 margin over the Bears on Tuesday. The Sharks might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six matches by six runs or more this season.
Taylor Stalling
| 04/08/25 @ Palmetto Ridge | 7 |
| 04/04/25 @ Naples | 10 |
| 04/01/25 vs Barron Collier | 7 |
| 03/27/25 @ Riverdale | 9 |
Taylor Stalling made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out seven batters over 6.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Hannah Rearden was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one double. Emma Caetano was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one home run.
Meanwhile, Bonita Springs lost 14-3 to Mariner on Tuesday.
Neelah Nicolas made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole three bases while going 1-for-1. That hit marked the first that she got this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Evelyn Balentine, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in two of her three plate appearances.
Gulf Coast's win was their seventh straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 13-1. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.4 runs over those games. As for Bonita Springs, their loss dropped their record down to 1-13.
Bonita Springs' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Gulf Coast hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. It's a different story for Bonita Springs, though, as they've only averaged .226. Will they be able to contain Gulf Coast's hitters?
Everything went Gulf Coast's way against Bonita Springs in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Gulf Coast made off with a 9-2 win. Will the Sharks repeat their success, or do the Bullsharks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
