It'll be a Battle of the Birds when East River Falcons face off against Master's Academy Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
If East River beats Master's Academy with six runs on Friday, it's going to be the team's new lucky number: they've won their past two games with that exact score. East River was the clear victor by a 6-0 margin over Astronaut on Thursday. The victory continues a trend for the Falcons in their matchups with the War Eagles: they've now won five in a row.
Chance Griffin looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because East River is 4-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 5-6 otherwise.
Dominic Diorio
| 03/27/25 @ Astronaut | 2 |
| 02/12/25 vs Lake Brantley | 1 |
| 05/10/24 @ Viera | 1 |
| 05/07/24 @ Land O' Lakes | 1 |
| 04/16/24 vs Winter Park | 1 |
On the hitting side, Dominic Diorio was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-1. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Luke Davila, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Master's Academy beat Tohopekaliga 10-5 on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Eagles.
Ben Soderholm looked comfortable as he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Cy Smith was a standout: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Josh Fernandez also deserves some recognition as he scored his first runs of the season.
Master's Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matches.
Master's Academy's win was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-5. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.1 runs on average over those games. As for East River, their record is now 9-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. East River has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Master's Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
