Baseball Game Preview: South Sumter Raiders vs. Citrus Hurricanes

The South Sumter Raiders will venture away from home to challenge the Citrus Hurricanes at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. South Sumter will aim to continue their four-game streak of scoring more runs each game than the last.

South Sumter lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Umatilla, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Tuesday's match. The Raiders put the hurt on the Bulldogs with a sharp 13-3 victory on Tuesday. Considering the Raiders have won nine contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

Ismael Rodriguez

Runs Batted In (Career)

04/08/25 @ Umatilla	3
03/18/25 @ Leesburg	2
03/13/25 @ Hernando	2
02/27/25 @ South Lake	2
02/18/25 vs Wildwood	2

The team relied heavily on Ismael Rodriguez, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was James Boone, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.

Rodriguez wasn't the only one making solid contact: South Sumter kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in three consecutive games.

Meanwhile, while Citrus put up some runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Weeki Wachee. The Hurricanes narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Hornets 1-0. The game was the first time the Hurricanes have beaten the Hornets on their field since February 22, 2022.

South Sumter is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 16-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Citrus, their record is now 10-13.

Citrus' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: South Sumter has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .465. It's a different story for Citrus, though, as they've only averaged .339. Will they be able to contain South Sumter's hitters?

South Sumter took their win against Citrus in their previous matchup back in February by a conclusive 15-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.