The McArthur Mustangs will take on the Dade Christian Warriors at 6:30 p.m. on Monday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: McArthur has struggled recently with four losses in a row, while Dade Christian will arrive with six straight wins.
Last Thursday, McArthur came up short against Fort Lauderdale and fell 6-1.
Eliecer Rodriguez was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off five hits. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed since back in February.
At the plate, McArthur saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Anthony Miracolla, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Dade Christian got the win against Brito on Friday by a conclusive 13-2. The Warriors might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six contests by six runs or more this season.
Alexander Mendoza Jr was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Dade Christian is undefeated when he allows at most one walk, but 6-7 otherwise. Mendoza Jr was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ylurey Melfor, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Dade Christian's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Juan Rivera Jr, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three RBI.
Dade Christian pushed their record up to 9-7 with the victory, which was their fifth straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for McArthur, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-13.
Everything went McArthur's way against Dade Christian when the teams last played back in March of 2022, as McArthur made off with an 11-1 win. Does McArthur have another victory up their sleeve, or will Dade Christian turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
