The Melbourne Bulldogs will take on the Central Cobras at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Monday, Melbourne was able to grind out a solid victory over Osceola, taking the game 6-1.
Melbourne got a great performance from Landon Barney as he didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Tony Burrows, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. What's more, he also posted two hits, the most he's had since back in February of 2024. Another player making a difference was Ty Aldeghi, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Central put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their undefeated season alive. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Lincoln Park Academy an 11-0 shutout. That 11 run margin sets a new team best for the Cobras this season.
Cody Ray looked comfortable as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched.
At the plate, Dominick Grimaldi was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Nathaniel Morel was another key player, going 1-for-5 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Central's win bumped their record up to 5-0-1. As for Melbourne, they now have a winning record of 1-0-1.
Everything went Melbourne's way against Central in their previous meeting back in February of 2015, as Melbourne made off with a 13-3 victory. Will Melbourne repeat their success, or does Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
