The Mater Academy Charter Lions will take on the Hialeah Educational Academy Biggie at 10:00 a.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Mater Academy Charter 3.6, Hialeah Educational Academy 3.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Mater Academy Charter took a loss when they played away from home on Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. Everything went their way against Killian as Mater Academy Charter made off with an 11-5 win. The high-scoring effort was just what the Lions needed considering they were shut out in their previous matchup.
Gabriel Granadillo looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts.
Jonathan Esponda
| 03/07/25 vs Killian | 2 |
| 03/04/25 vs iMater Charter | 1 |
| 02/28/25 vs Somerset Academy | 1 |
| 02/18/25 vs Hialeah Gardens | 1 |
| 02/15/25 @ Florida Christian | 1 |
On the hitting side, Mater Academy Charter let Yodelkis Quevedo and Jonathan Esponda run wild. Quevedo scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Esponda scored three runs while going 2-for-3. Those two hits gave Esponda a new career-high. Bryan Aritta was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI.
Mater Academy Charter always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .600. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Hialeah Educational Academy hadn't done well against Miami Springs recently (they were 0-4 in their previous four matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Hialeah Educational Academy narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Miami Springs 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Biggie have posted since February 11th.
Hialeah Educational Academy also got a great performance from JADEN LAO as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 11 over 6.1 innings pitched. LAO also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Hialeah Educational Academy is 2-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 2-4 otherwise.
At the plate, EISLER PEREZ was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was ERNESTO VELASCO, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Mater Academy Charter pushed their record up to 6-6 with the victory, which was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Hialeah Educational Academy, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 4-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mater Academy Charter has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hialeah Educational Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Mater Academy Charter skirted past Hialeah Educational Academy 1-0 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mater Academy Charter since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
