The Miami Country Day Spartans will face off against the Florida Christian Patriots at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Miami Country Day is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They were the clear victors by a 13-1 margin over Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Spartans considering their one-run performance the game before.
Collins Ames was a major factor no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season. She was also big at the plate, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, two stolen bases, and three runs. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Eryn Mayo, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. Zoey Campos was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Miami Country Day was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .379. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Carrollton School of the Sacred Heart only posted a batting average of .150.
Meanwhile, Florida Christian got themselves on the board against Immaculata-La Salle on Wednesday, but Immaculata-La Salle never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Royal Lions with a sharp 15-0 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Patriots.
Kayla Diaz made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Diaz was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Florida Christian got a massive performance out of Emily Ruiz, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. That home run was Ruiz's first of the season. Another player making a difference was Emma Medina, who got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one home run and three RBI.
Florida Christian's record now sits at 16-8. As for Miami Country Day, they have been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Miami Country Day has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Florida Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Miami Country Day might still be hurting after the 15-0 loss they got from Florida Christian in their previous matchup back in April. Can the Spartans avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
