The Hardee Wildcats will take on the Fort Meade Miners at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Hardee 3.4, Fort Meade 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Fort Meade will be up against a hot Hardee team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Hardee never let Riverview Sarasota get on the board and left with a 3-0 victory on Wednesday.
Ryan Rivas
| 03/26/25 vs Riverview Sarasota | 10 |
| 03/18/25 vs Island Coast | 6 |
| 03/11/25 vs IMG Academy Gold | 8 |
| 03/04/25 vs DeSoto County | 6 |
| 02/25/25 @ Mulberry | 4 |
| + 2 more games |
Ryan Rivas was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
Rivas wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Ryland Beumel, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Beumel has become a key player for Hardee: the team is 4-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 4-7 otherwise.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Fort Meade, who bounced back after a loss on the road last Wednesday. They walked away with a 6-3 win over Marathon on Thursday.
Like Hardee, Fort Meade also got a great game from a two-way player: Owen Harrell. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. What's more, Harrell gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in February. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, DeMarion Abrams was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Noe Jaramillo, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Fort Meade hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their strikeout total in four consecutive games.
Hardee pushed their record up to 8-8 with the victory, which was their third 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 Fort Meade, their victory bumped their record up to 12-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Hardee has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fort Meade struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Hardee came up short against Fort Meade in their previous meeting back in February, falling 5-2. Will Hardee have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
