Gulliver Prep hasn't had much luck against Doral Academy recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Gulliver Prep Raiders will welcome the Doral Academy Firebirds at 4:00 p.m.
Gulliver Prep is headed into Thursday's game looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight game on Wednesday. They took an 8-3 hit to the loss column at the hands of ABF Academy Homestead. That's two games in a row now that the Raiders have lost by exactly five runs.
Gulliver Prep got a good showing from Nico Ribera, who tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. What's more, Ribera posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
On the hitting side, Justin Parson was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in February. Enzo Paesano also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Doral Academy came tearing into Tuesday's match with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Stingarees get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. Give the Firebirds' pitching crew some credit: that's the team's third straight shutout.
Marcelo Rodriguez looked comfortable as he kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over four innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Doral Academy got a massive performance out of Dylan Prince, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Josh Cespedes, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two RBI.
Doral Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .421. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Miami only posted a batting average of .118.
Doral Academy pushed their record up to 12-2-1 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.3 runs on average over those games. As for Gulliver Prep, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-13.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Gulliver Prep hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Doral Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.9 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Gulliver Prep suffered a grim 12-1 defeat to Doral Academy in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will Gulliver Prep have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
