Mandarin is 8-2 against First Coast since February of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Mandarin Mustangs will venture away from home to square off against the First Coast Buccaneers at 6:05 p.m. Mandarin will be strutting in after a win while First Coast will be coming in after a loss.
Having struggled with seven defeats in a row dating back to last season, Mandarin turned things around against Menendez on Friday. They blew past the Falcons 10-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest victory the Mustangs have posted since April 22, 2024.
Gavin Loper was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in March of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (two).
Cole Rusak
| 02/21/25 @ Menendez | 4 |
| 02/20/25 vs Nease | 1 |
| 02/14/25 @ Middleburg | 1 |
| 04/11/24 vs Stanton | 1 |
| 04/04/24 vs Englewood | 1 |
In other batting news, Cole Rusak was incredible, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, one triple, and one stolen base. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in RBI. Samuel Smedley also deserves some recognition as he stole his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, First Coast suffered their biggest loss since April 24, 2024 on Wednesday. They lost 16-1 to Atlantic Coast. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Buccaneers' biggest loss of the season was also their lowest-scoring.
First Coast's defeat dropped their record down to 4-2. As for Mandarin, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
Mandarin suffered a grim 11-0 defeat to First Coast in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can Mandarin avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
