The Gainesville Hurricanes will face off against the Branford Buccaneers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
On Tuesday, it was close, but Gainesville sidestepped Saint Francis Catholic for a 7-5 victory. The win continues a trend for the Hurricanes in their matchups with the Wolves: they've now won four in a row.
Juan Roman tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 5.1 innings pitched.
At the plate, Connor Kemph was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Kaiden Griffith was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Gainesville always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Branford came tearing into Monday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Indians. While the Buccaneers didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Jackson Skinner was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those zero hits allowed gave him a new career-low. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Patrick Williams, who scored two runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He has become a key player for Branford: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-4 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Troy Roberts, who scored two runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Branford's victory was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 8-4. As for Gainesville, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Gainesville has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Branford struggles in that department as they've been averaging 5.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Gainesville skirted past Branford 7-5 in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Will Gainesville repeat their success, or does Branford have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
