The Palmetto Tigers are taking a road trip to challenge the Manatee Hurricanes at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Palmetto proved they can win big on Monday (they won by 15) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Lakewood Ranch 4-2. The victory continues a trend for the Tigers in their matchups with the Mustangs: they've now won three in a row.
Palmetto let Blake Willis and Chase Nye run wild. Willis went 2-for-3 with one triple and one run, while Nye went 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that Nye hit this season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Manatee). They were the clear victors by a 15-1 margin over Boca Ciega on Tuesday. With that win, the Hurricanes brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Steven Williams looked comfortable as he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Nick Zunica, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-3. What's more, he posted three RBI, the most he's had since back in March. Another player making a difference was Payton Harlan, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Manatee was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .409. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .308 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Palmetto's record is now 5-16. As for Manatee, they moved to 13-7 with that victory, which also ended their four-game losing streak.
Palmetto skirted past Manatee 2-0 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will the Tigers repeat their success, or do the Hurricanes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
