The Imagine School at North Port Sharks will face off against the South Fort Myers Wolfpack at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
While Imagine School at North Port's victory against Oasis wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Imagine School at North Port sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-6 win over Oasis on Friday. The victory continues a trend for Imagine School at North Port in their matchups with Oasis: they've now won five in a row.
Jacob Lombard
| 04/04/25 vs Oasis | 7 |
| 03/29/25 @ Venice | 0 |
| 03/18/25 vs DeSoto County | 4 |
| 03/13/25 @ Cardinal Mooney | 1 |
| 03/07/25 vs Out-of-Door Academy | 4 |
| 02/28/25 vs Port Charlotte | 10 |
Jacob Lombard was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out seven over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on RJ Cooper, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He has become a key player for Imagine School at North Port: the team is 5-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 3-10 otherwise. Peyton Rassbach was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Friday South Fort Myers sidestepped East Lee County for a 4-3 win.
Like Imagine School at North Port, South Fort Myers also got a great game from a two-way player: Jerry Cruz. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off seven hits. Cruz was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Cruz wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Owen Kircher, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-1. Crisstophec Morillo also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Imagine School at North Port pushed their record up to 8-11 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for South Fort Myers, their victory bumped their record up to 8-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Imagine School at North Port has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like South Fort Myers struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
