The Fletcher Senators will venture away from home to face off against the Atlantic Coast Stingrays at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Fletcher's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so Atlantic Coast's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Having struggled with six losses in a row, Fletcher turned things around against Bartram Trail on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Bears a 3-0 shutout. The game was the first time the Senators have beaten the Bears on their field since April 20, 2017.
Bruce Neel tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over 6.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Carson Shaffer, who went 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Jackson Titlow also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, Atlantic Coast posted their closest victory since April 15, 2025 on Wednesday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the team sidled past First Coast 1-0. The one-run effort marked the Stingrays' lowest-scoring matchup of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Atlantic Coast's victory was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was AJ Toledo, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one double. Tyson Borer was another, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run.
Fletcher's record now sits at 3-10. As for Atlantic Coast, their record is now 7-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Fletcher has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Atlantic Coast struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Fletcher came up short against Atlantic Coast in their previous meeting back in March of 2025, falling 4-1. Can the Senators avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
