If Hialeah Gardens was feeling good off their 6-0 takedown of Hialeah two weeks ago, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Hialeah Gardens Gladiators took a 7-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of the American Patriots on Wednesday. Hialeah Gardens was given a dose of their own medicine in this game as American apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in March of 2020.
Ryan Valdes was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk).
At the plate, Nicholas Ceballos was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Jhomar Salazar, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Even though they lost, Hialeah Gardens didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with nine strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as American only tossed three.
On American's side, Raul Pinales made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and only two hits over four innings pitched. Pinales was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Pinales wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Amari Lucas, who scored a run while going 1-for-4. Amir Lucas was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Hialeah Gardens has been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last ten games, which put a noticeable dent in their 5-9 record this season. As for American, their victory ended a seven-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-8.
Hialeah Gardens didn't take long to hit the field again: they've already played their next contest, an 8-0 defeat vs. Varela on the 4th. American has also already played their next match, an 8-7 win against Dr. Krop on the 4th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
