Sumner has gone a perfect 5-0 against Plant City recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Stingrays will look to defend their home field against the Raiders at 7:00 p.m. Sumner is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.7 runs per game this season.
Sumner was handed a ten-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Wednesday. They skirted past Cypress Creek 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Stingrays have posted since April 2, 2024.
Aliyanis Stubbs
| 04/02/25 @ Cypress Creek | 0 |
| 03/27/25 vs Bloomingdale | 1 |
| 03/15/25 vs Evangelical Christian | 2 |
Aliyanis Stubbs spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on nine hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jaelyn Joiner, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Karlee Salisbury was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, while Plant City put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Spoto. The Raiders blew past the Spartans 16-0. Considering the Raiders have won ten matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Kayleigh Gibbs made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in February. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. That home run was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Samantha Raines was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three stolen bases, and three runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in February. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyleigh Meiers, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2.
Plant City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .739. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Spoto only posted an OBP of .357.
Plant City is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That lines up perfectly with their 12-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.3 runs over those games. As for Sumner, their win bumped their record up to 10-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Sumner has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Plant City struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Sumner's way against Plant City when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as Sumner made off with a 9-0 victory. Do the Stingrays have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
