The Vero Beach Indians will face off against the Centennial Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Vero Beach will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Vero Beach is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past Treasure Coast 7-6.
Brandon Walker looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jace Romans, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Cole Morgan was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Centennial). They were the clear victors by a 15-7 margin over Central on Tuesday. The Eagles not only won on Tuesday, but they posted their biggest win since March 3rd.
Alfonso Hernandez was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed five innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off nine hits. Hernandez was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Kevin Rodriguez looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
Back at the plate, Yohalberth Romero was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 4-for-4. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Giovanni Lopez also deserves some recognition as he launched his first home run of the season.
Centennial always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Vero Beach's victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 23-1. As for Centennial, their record is now 13-10.
Centennial's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Vero Beach has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .448. It's a different story for Centennial, though, as they've only averaged .364. Will they be able to contain Vero Beach's hitters?
Vero Beach took their win against Centennial in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 9-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Indians since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
