Estero hasn't had much luck against Riverdale recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Estero Wildcats will welcome the Riverdale Raiders at 7:00 p.m. Estero is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Estero took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Lehigh a 15-0 shutout. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Lightning: they've now won five in a row.
Case Bowman made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that he's stolen this season.
Rylan Stewart
| 02/21/25 vs Lehigh | 3 |
| 02/14/25 vs Golden Gate | 2 |
| 02/13/25 @ Aubrey Rogers | 1 |
| 05/02/24 vs Lemon Bay | 1 |
| 04/30/24 vs Cypress Lake | 1 |
In other batting news, Estero got a massive performance out of Rylan Stewart, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3. Those three runs gave Stewart a new career-high. Landon Brown was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
Estero always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .633. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Riverdale hadn't done well against Fort Myers recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. Riverdale came out on top in a nail-biter against Fort Myers, sneaking past 5-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Raiders.
Riverdale also got a great performance from Cole Cooke as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 4.1 innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Riverdale's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Carlos Ayala, who went 1-for-4 with two RBI.
Estero pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs over those games. As for Riverdale, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Estero's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's contest. Estero has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Riverdale, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Estero continue to outrun the ball?
Estero came up short against Riverdale in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, falling 6-1. Will Estero have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
