The South Broward Bulldogs will head out to square off against the Doral Academy Firebirds at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. South Broward's hitters haven't had much luck over their past three games, but Wednesday's matchup will give them a chance to turn things around.
South Broward was handed a 13-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They skirted past Pembroke Pines Charter 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Bulldogs have posted since February 12th.
Rocco Villella
| 02/12/25 @ Piper | 2 |
| 03/04/25 @ Pembroke Pines Charter | 1 |
Rocco Villella spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up eight Ks. South Broward is 2-0-1 when Villella allowstwo or fewer earned runs, but 2-5 otherwise.
At the plate, South Broward saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Francisco Gomez-Haedo, who went 1-for-2 with one double and one RBI. That double was Gomez-Haedo's first of the season.
Meanwhile, Doral Academy came tearing into Tuesday's contest with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5.8 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Panthers get on the board and left with a 2-0 win.
Doral Academy also got a great performance from Marcelo Rodriguez as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 5.2 innings pitched.
Doral Academy pushed their record up to 7-2 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for South Broward, their record now sits at 4-5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. South Broward has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Doral Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
South Broward came out on top in a nail-biter against Doral Academy in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 8-6. The rematch might be a little tougher for South Broward since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
