The Palmetto Tigers are taking a road trip to challenge the Sarasota Sailors at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Palmetto will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Having struggled with six defeats in a row, Palmetto turned things around against Lakewood Ranch on Tuesday. They came out on top against the Mustangs by a score of 7-3.
The team relied heavily on Landon Henderson, who went 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Chance Schappacher, who went 2-for-3 with one home run.
Henderson wasn't the only one working in the home run department: Palmetto lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since the start of last season.
While Sarasota didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-17), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They never let Manatee get on the board and left with a 4-0 victory on Tuesday. The Sailors haven't had any issues with the Hurricanes recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
The result came thanks to Blake Norman's shutout, as he gave up just five hits and racked up seven Ks. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Patrick Drymon was excellent, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. Another player making a difference was Connor Boyd, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Sarasota's record is now 6-3-1. As for Palmetto, the victory was their first at home , bumping their record up to 2-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Palmetto has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Sarasota struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Palmetto's way against Sarasota in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Palmetto made off with a 6-0 win. Does Palmetto have another victory up their sleeve, or will Sarasota turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
