The ABF Academy Homestead Bandits will head out to challenge the ABF Academy Cowboys at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.
Last Monday, ABF Academy Homestead didn't have quite enough to beat Coral Shores and fell 3-2. The Bandits have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Kyle De Haseth was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. He also allowed seven hits, marking his first of the season.
On the hitting side, Alex Reguiera made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Richny Frans, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask ABF Academy). Their pitcher stepped up to hand McArthur a 12-0 shutout on Wednesday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
The result came thanks to Juan Fernandez's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up ten Ks. What's more, he gave up only one walk, the fewest he's had since back in February of 2024.
At the plate, ABF Academy got a massive performance out of Gian Luigi Ospina, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Jose Zerpa, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
ABF Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .564. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
ABF Academy is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 3-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. ABF Academy Homestead's loss dropped their record down to 2-7.
ABF Academy Homestead suffered a grim 13-2 defeat to ABF Academy in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can ABF Academy Homestead avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
