The Mater Lakes Academy Bears will face off against the Hialeah Gardens Gladiators at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Mater Lakes Academy will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up one run on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Goleman on Wednesday. Mater Lakes Academy blew past Goleman 10-4. The Bears haven't had any issues with the Gators recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
David Ortega
| 03/26/25 vs Goleman | 1 |
| 03/18/25 @ Columbus | 1 |
| 03/12/25 vs Miami Springs | 2 |
David Ortega tossed a big game, pitching six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Andres Gomez, who went 2-for-4 with one home run and two runs. That's the most hits he has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was BRADY KENHAN, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Hialeah Gardens entered their tilt with Hialeah last Thursday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They put the hurt on the Thoroughbreds with a sharp 14-6 win.
Hialeah Gardens also got a great performance from Ryan Valdes as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off eight hits. Hialeah Gardens is undefeated when Valdes allowsone or fewer earned runs, but 4-8 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Carlos Victorero was incredible, going 4-for-5 with five RBI, three runs, and two doubles. He is becoming a predictor of Hialeah Gardens' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 4-1 (and 5-7 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Jerry Sosa, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Hialeah Gardens always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .550. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Hialeah Gardens' victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-8. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Mater Lakes Academy, their victory bumped their record up to 9-7-4.
Mater Lakes Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Hialeah Gardens in their previous matchup back in March of 2021, sneaking past 5-4. Does Mater Lakes Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hialeah Gardens turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
