IMG Academy Silver has won six straight games at home, while Sunlake has won six straight on the road, but those streaks won't matter much on Friday. The Ascenders will welcome the Seahawks at 7:00 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (IMG Academy Silver 2.7, Sunlake 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Sunlake's hitters are going to have their work cut out for them on Friday: IMG Academy Silver hadn't allowed a single run the last four times they've hit the field. The Ascenders didn't even let Inspiration Academy Red on the board on Wednesday, marking the Ascenders' second-straight 10-0 shutout. The victory continues a trend for the Ascenders in their matchups with the Lions: they've now won three in a row.
Henry Britt looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
At the plate, IMG Academy Silver got a big performance out of JP Piles, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That's the most RBI Piles has posted since back in March. Chino Santana was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
IMG Academy Silver always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Inspiration Academy Red only posted an OBP of .176.
Meanwhile, Sunlake beat Pasco 5-1 on Thursday.
Wyatt Dion looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Sunlake is 8-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-7 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Lucas Zarlenga and Dominic Italiano did most of the damage at the plate: Zarlenga scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2, while Italiano scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Zarlenga is becoming a predictor of Sunlake's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 7-8 when he doesn't).
Sunlake is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-8 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.3 runs over those games. As for IMG Academy Silver, their victory bumped their record up to 16-5.
Sunlake's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: IMG Academy Silver has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .440. It's a different story for Sunlake, though, as they've only averaged .331. Will they be able to contain IMG Academy Silver's hitters?
IMG Academy Silver was able to grind out a solid win over Sunlake in their previous matchup back in March of 2020, winning 3-0. Will the Ascenders repeat their success, or do the Seahawks have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
