The Island Coast Gators will take on the Lemon Bay Manta Rays at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Island Coast sitting on six straight victories and Lemon Bay on three.
Ten must be Island Coast's lucky number: they beat Cypress Lake with that score not once but twice on Tuesday. The Gators didn't even let the Panthers on the board, marking the Gators' second-straight 10-0 shutout. The Gators might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Jayven Torres and Jacob Fowler did most of the damage at the plate: Torres scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Fowler scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. That's the most runs Torres has posted since back in February. Logan Hawkins was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base.
Meanwhile, it's playoff time, and Lemon Bay had no trouble coming through when it counted. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 win over LaBelle on Tuesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Manta Rays have posted since March 5th.
Drew Smith tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched.
At the plate, Lemon Bay's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Wyatt Bush, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Island Coast pushed their record up to 21-6 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Lemon Bay, their victory bumped their record up to 13-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Island Coast has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lemon Bay struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Island Coast beat Lemon Bay 8-4 in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Do the Gators have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Manta Rays turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
