The Mater Academy Charter Lions will face off against the South Dade Buccaneers at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The timing is sure in Mater Academy Charter's favor as the squad sits on 11 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while South Dade has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
It was a proper cat-fight when Mater Academy Charter faced off against Pembroke Pines Charter on Friday. Mater Academy Charter had just enough and edged out Pembroke Pines Charter 5-4. That's two games straight that the Lions have won by just one run.
Gerald Barcelo looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk). He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Mater Academy Charter is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 5-6 otherwise.
Eiker Noriega
| 03/14/25 vs Pembroke Pines Charter | 3 |
| 02/27/25 vs Archbishop McCarthy | 2 |
| 02/28/25 vs Somerset Academy | 1 |
| 02/25/25 vs Southridge | 1 |
On the hitting side, Eiker Noriega was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing Three bases. while going 2-for-4. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
Meanwhile, South Dade narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Sunset 6-4.
South Dade also got a great performance from Angel Ayala as he pitched six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Luis Alejandro Mora, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Jonel Lluveras was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.
Mater Academy Charter has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.8 runs over those games. South Dade's win bumped their record up to 6-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mater Academy Charter has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like South Dade struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
