The Miami Stingarees will square off against the Lakeside School Chiefs at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Miami will aim to continue their three-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.
Miami is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Franklin Academy 20-5 on Wednesday. Considering the Stingarees have won ten contests by more than seven runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Jadiel Veras was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Miami got a massive performance out of Kevin Rodriguez, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits Rodriguez has posted since back in February. Randy Mercedes was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs.
Miami was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .529. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .350 or higher in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Lakeside School fell victim to Key West and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They wound up with the same score they had in their last game (5-0), but sadly the team found themselves on the wrong side of the score this time. Their loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Lakeside School saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Brayden Vachon, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Miami's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-6. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 17.3 runs over those games. As for Lakeside School, they suffered their first road defeat, dropping their record down to 35-7.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Miami has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .540. However, it's not like Lakeside School struggles in that department as they've averaged .478. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
