vs
| 03/06/25 - Home | 2-1 W |
| 03/21/24 - Home | 9-1 W |
| 03/23/23 - Away | 7-6 W |
| 04/28/22 - Home | 2-5 L |
| 04/15/21 - Home | 8-1 W |
| + 5 more games |
Wiregrass Ranch is 9-1 against Zephyrhills since April of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Wiregrass Ranch Bulls are taking a road trip to take on the Zephyrhills Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Wiregrass Ranch's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Zephyrhills' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Wiregrass Ranch's last matchup with Sunlake could've gone either way, but unfortunately the same can't be said for the pair's matchup on Tuesday. Wiregrass Ranch came up short against Sunlake, falling 11-3. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Bulls, who until this contest were averaging 3.7 runs allowed.
Wiregrass Ranch saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Carson Kirkland, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one double.
Meanwhile, Zephyrhills never let their opponents score on Thursday. They came out on top against Fivay by a score of 10-0 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The high-scoring effort was just what the Bulldogs needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.
Colin O'Malley was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out ten over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Zephyrhills is 3-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 1-7 otherwise. O'Malley was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That stolen base was his first of the season.
In other batting news, Traiton Costello was excellent, going 2-for-3 with three stolen bases and two RBI. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in stolen bases.
Zephyrhills pushed their record up to 4-8 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.7 runs over those games. As for Wiregrass Ranch, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 3-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Wiregrass Ranch has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Zephyrhills struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Wiregrass Ranch skirted past Zephyrhills 2-1 in their previous meeting last Thursday. The rematch might be a little tougher for Wiregrass Ranch since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
