Estero is 1-8 against Gulf Coast since April of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Estero Wildcats will be playing at home against the Gulf Coast Sharks at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Estero had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.7 runs), and they went ahead and made it seven on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Cowboys/Cowgirls a 9-0 shutout.
Will Swan was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out nine over 5.1 innings pitched. Swan has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances. Swan was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Case Bowman and Ian Messinger did most of the damage at the plate: Bowman scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4, while Messinger scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4. Messinger has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
Gulf Coast never got on the board in their matchup on Tuesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against American Heritage last Friday. They put the hurt on the Stallions with a sharp 10-3 victory.
Like Estero, Gulf Coast also got a great game from a two-way player: Vincent Mattei. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits. Mattei was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Gulf Coast let Peyton Hale and Jonathan Kacinas loose on the outfield. Hale scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-2, while Kacinas scored a run while going 2-for-4. The team also got some help courtesy of Cooper Holman, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Estero's win bumped their record up to 16-3. As for Gulf Coast, they pushed their record up to 12-6 with that victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season.
Both both teams just can't seem to miss. Estero has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.5 hits per game. However, it's not like Gulf Coast struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.7. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Estero came up short against Gulf Coast in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, falling 4-1. Will Estero have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
