It can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but McKeel Academy had no problem doing just that on Saturday. They never let the Hardee Wildcats onto the board and left with a 10-0 victory. McKeel Academy might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team's won nine matchups by six runs or more this season.
The result came thanks to Kaden Howell's shutout, as he gave up just four hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, McKeel Academy let Jorge Cordova and KJ Scobey loose on the outfield. Cordova went 2-for-3 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Scobey scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Hayden Testerman, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
McKeel Academy has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games, which somehow isn't as good as their 23-5 record this season. As for Hardee, their defeat ended a seven-game streak of away wins and brought them to 18-7.
McKeel Academy will play host again on Tuesday to welcome Mulberry, where first pitch is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. The pair have allowed few runs on average, (Mulberry: 3.8, McKeel Academy: 2) so any runs scored will be well earned. Hardee does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps