The Keys Gate Knights will take on the Varela Vipers at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Keys Gate has given up an average of 9.8 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Keys Gate came into their game on Wednesday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They lost 21-5 to Schoolhouse Prep. On the bright side, the five- run effort marked the Knights' highest-scoring contest to date.
Keys Gate saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Juan Oliva, who went 2-for-3 with one run. JP Luna also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Varela came up short against TERRA Environmental on Tuesday and fell 7-2. The Vipers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Varela also got a good showing from Jayden Lamb, who pitched 2.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits.
Varela now has a losing record of 1-2. As for Keys Gate, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Keys Gate has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Varela struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Keys Gate got the 'W' in their previous meeting back in February of 2025 against Varela by a conclusive 11-4 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Knights since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
