The Dunnellon Tigers will face off against the Vanguard Knights at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Dunnellon is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Dunnellon is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Citrus 3-2.
Mark Pastorella
| 03/25/25 @ Forest | 6 |
| 03/07/25 @ St. Joseph Academy | 2 |
| 03/17/25 @ Crystal River | 1 |
| 02/17/25 @ Vanguard | 1 |
Mark Pastorella spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up ten Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Dunnellon is 5-2 when he allows at most one earned run, but 7-12 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Draven White, who went 1-for-2 with one home run. Jacob Fontanez was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Dunnellon hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They are 4-1 when they post two or more strikeouts.
Meanwhile, Vanguard entered their tilt with Lake Weir on Monday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They walked away with an 8-5 win over the Hurricanes.
Vanguard also got a great performance from Cooper Ragle as he struck out ten batters over 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. That's the most strikeouts Ragle has posted since back in March.
At the plate, Jacob ?Jake? Wells was incredible, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Braden Grubb, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4.
Dunnellon is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-14 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. As for Vanguard, their win bumped their record up to 20-4.
Dunnellon suffered a grim 11-0 defeat to Vanguard in their previous matchup two weeks ago. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
