The Varela Vipers will challenge the Hialeah Gardens Gladiators at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday.
Varela couldn't beat ABF Academy Homestead on Thursday even though they stacked four runs on them in the first inning. Neither the Vipers nor the Bandits could gain the upper hand so the two teams had to settle for a 5-5 tie.
Hialeah Gardens came out on top against Dr. Krop on Monday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run second inning. The Gladiators put the hurt on the Lightning with a sharp 12-1 victory. Considering the Gladiators have won four matchups by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Derek Mata looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
At the plate, Edel Garcia and Bryan Pol did most of the damage at the plate: Garcia went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI, while Pol went 3-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That's the most hits Pol has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Alex Castro, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Hialeah Gardens was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dr. Krop only posted a batting average of .167.
Hialeah Gardens' win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-8. Varela's draw makes their record 2-6-1 this season.
Varela got the 'W' in their previous matchup back in February of 2025 against Hialeah Gardens by a conclusive 13-5 score. Will the Vipers repeat their success, or do the Gladiators have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
