The Varela Vipers will square off against the Hialeah Thoroughbreds at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hialeah took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Varela, who comes in off a win.
Varela will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs back in March, then bounced right back against Schoolhouse Prep on Tuesday. The Vipers were the clear victors by a 12-4 margin over the Wolfpack. Considering the Vipers' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Caleb Velazquez
| 04/07/26 vs Schoolhouse Prep | 2 |
| 03/12/26 @ Keys Gate | 1 |
| 02/26/26 vs American | 1 |
| 02/09/26 @ South Miami | 1 |
Caleb Velazquez was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed three innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Varela got a big performance out of Joel Rangel, who went 1-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Rangel has become a key player for the Vipers: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 2-8-1 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Evan Ferreira, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Varela was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Hialeah was not able to break out of their rough patch on Friday as the team picked up their fifth straight loss. They took a 5-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of Schoolhouse Prep.
Cody Gomez was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits.
At the plate, Hialeah saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ronaldo Rivera, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base.
Hialeah's defeat dropped their record down to 8-10. As for Varela, their record is now 5-8-1.
Everything went Varela's way against Hialeah when the teams last played back in April of 2025, as Varela made off with an 11-1 win. Do the Vipers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Thoroughbreds turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
