The Gateway Eagles will face off against the Babcock Trailblazers at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Gateway has given up an average of 12.6 runs per game this season, so hopefully the team got some pitching drills in this week.
Gateway lost 16-9 to Bonita Springs on Thursday. The Eagles have struggled against the Bullsharks recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost matchup.
Presley Murphy
| 02/27/25 vs Bonita Springs | 8 |
| 02/20/25 @ Oasis | 7 |
| 04/09/24 vs Dunbar | 3 |
| 04/29/24 vs Cypress Lake | 2 |
| 04/04/24 vs Cape Coral | 1 |
Presley Murphy spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered five earned (and 12 unearned) runs on 13 hits and racked up eight Ks. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in strikeouts.
On the hitting side, Krizha Fredeluces and Mallory Tiedeman did some serious damage despite the final result: Fredeluces scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances, while Tiedeman scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Caitlin Gardner, who scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Babcock came up short against DeSoto County on Thursday and fell 8-5.
Brooklyn Mills was huge no matter where she played even without the win. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. She also hit a double, marking her first of the season.
Mills wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Lexi Haley, who went 3-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one RBI. AJ Macia also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Gateway now has a losing record of 2-3. As for Babcock, their loss dropped their record down to 3-2.
Babcock's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Gateway hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .343. It's a different story for Babcock, though, as they've only averaged .227. Will they be able to contain Gateway's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
