The Matanzas Pirates will head out on the road to square off against the Menendez Falcons at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
After only two runs in their last match, Matanzas made sure to put some runs up on the board against Father Lopez on Tuesday. Matanzas blew past Father Lopez 13-2. Matanzas might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won four games by eight runs or more this season.
Matanzas let Emerson Esselstein and Juliet Fogel loose on the outfield. Esselstein went 1-for-3 with four RBI, a run, and a double, while Fogel went 2-for-3 with two runs, a triple, and a double. The team also got some help courtesy of Alondra Vincenty, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with a triple and two RBI.
Meanwhile, even though Beachside scored an imposing 12 runs on Tuesday, Menendez still came out on top. Menendez walked away with a 15-12 win over Beachside. 15 seems to be a good number for Menendez as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Madelyn Brown spent all eight innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered nine earned (and two unearned) runs on 11 hits and racked up 13 Ks. Those eight innings set a new season-high mark for her.
On the hitting side, Dylan McDade was a standout: she went 2-for-5 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs. Leann McCready was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 3-for-5.
Matanzas' win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 8-1. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.4 runs per game. As for Menendez, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 7-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Matanzas has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 13.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Menendez struggles in that department as they've been averaging 11. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Matanzas came up short against Menendez in their previous meeting back in April of 2023, falling 5-2. Can Matanzas avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
