The Nature Coast Tech Sharks will challenge the Crystal River Pirates at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Nature Coast Tech is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Sunlake just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Thursday. They fell just short of the Seahawks by a score of 7-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Sharks have suffered since March 12, 2024.
Kamryn Ross spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and three unearned) runs on six hits.
At the plate, Nature Coast Tech saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caitlin Corrigan, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3. Another was Haley Keane, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Crystal River). They put the hurt on Dunnellon with a sharp 8-1 win on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Pirates in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won five in a row.
Violet Flynn made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than nine strikeouts any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one triple. That triple marked the first that she hit this season.
In other batting news, Athena Childs was incredible, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. Emma Crosby was another key player, scoring three runs while going 2-for-4.
Crystal River was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. The last time their batting average was this high was back in April of 2024.
Crystal River's win bumped their record up to 6-1. As for Nature Coast Tech, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-3.
Nature Coast Tech skirted past Crystal River 6-4 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will Nature Coast Tech repeat their success, or does Crystal River have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
