Palm Bay and Heritage are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2018, but likely not for long. The Palm Bay Pirates will be playing at home against the Heritage Panthers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Palm Bay is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Cocoa a 14-0 shutout on Friday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Pirates considering their two-run performance the matchup before.
Nolan Werle
| 02/28/25 @ Cocoa | 4 |
| 04/25/24 @ St. Edward's | 3 |
| 04/16/24 @ Calvary Chapel Academy | 2 |
| 02/27/24 vs Merritt Island Christian | 2 |
| 02/23/24 vs St. Edward's | 2 |
Nolan Werle and Jayden Runkel made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Werle struck out six batters over 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Runkel tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Those zero hits allowed gave Werle a new career-low. At the plate, Werle went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, four RBI, and one run, while Runkel scored three runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Those four RBI gave Werle a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jacob Hines, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Miguel Martinez, who scored three runs and stole Two bases. while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Palm Bay always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .553. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Cocoa only posted an OBP of .263.
Meanwhile, Heritage waltzed into their game on Monday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They were the clear victor by an 11-1 margin over Gateway. That ten run margin sets a new team best for Heritage this season.
Marshall Braden tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits.
On the hitting side, Kethziel Torres was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Ryan Pattee, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Heritage pushed their record up to 5-4 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to hits: they averaged an imposing 9.2 hits in those games compared to only four in the others. As for Palm Bay, their win bumped their record up to 5-1.
Palm Bay's speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's contest. Palm Bay has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Heritage, though, as they've been averaging only 1.3 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Palm Bay continue to outrun the ball?
Palm Bay suffered a grim 14-1 defeat to Heritage in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can Palm Bay avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
