Umatilla is 2-8 against Mount Dora since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Wednesday. The Umatilla Bulldogs will square off against the Mount Dora Hurricanes at 6:30 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Umatilla's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. Everything went their way against East Ridge as Umatilla made off with a 10-0 win. The Bulldogs have beaten the Knights the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Knights has come to flipping the script.
Keegan St. Amant was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. St. Amant was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Umatilla let Nick Sande and Stephan Huckeba loose on the outfield. Sande scored a run and stole three bases while going 2-for-4, while Huckeba went a perfect4-for-4 with four RBI and one run. The dominant performance also gave Sande a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Dominick Mathe, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with.
Umatilla always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .543. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East Ridge only posted an OBP of .250.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Mount Dora ultimately got the result they hoped for on Monday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 10-8 victory over South Sumter. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Hurricanes have posted since March 26, 2024.
The team relied heavily on Ethan McLain, who got on base in all five of his plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and one double. Preston Rhodes was another key player, going 3-for-5 with four RBI.
The victory got Mount Dora back to even at 1-1. As for Umatilla, their record is now 2-0.
Umatilla skirted past Mount Dora 5-3 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Umatilla since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
