The Carrollwood Day Patriots will challenge the Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate Phoenix at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Carrollwood Day's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Carrollwood Day's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Wednesday's struggle, when Bloomingdale hitters got past them. Carrollwood Day came up short against Bloomingdale on Wednesday, falling 10-1.
Carrollwood Day saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Steven Vargo, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Luke Anderson also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate came into Wednesday's match having lost 14 straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. Everything went their way against Tampa Bay Tech on Wednesday as Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate made off with a 15-5 win. The Phoenix's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Gabriel Machado was a standout: he scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in runs. Another player making a difference was Aiden Brown, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .548. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive games.
Carrollwood Day's loss dropped their record down to 10-6. As for Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Carrollwood Day has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Carrollwood Day came out on top in a nail-biter against Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 2-0. Will Carrollwood Day repeat their success, or does Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.