The South Dade Buccaneers will take on the Varela Vipers at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. South Dade is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Varela will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: South Dade extended their winning streak to three on Wednesday. The Buccaneers were the clear victors by a 12-6 margin over Downtown Doral.
Luis Alejandro Mora
| 04/09/25 vs Downtown Doral | 3 |
| 04/04/25 vs Southridge | 2 |
| 03/18/25 @ Mater Academy Charter | 2 |
| 02/25/25 vs TERRA Environmental | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Keys Gate | 1 |
Luis Alejandro Mora and Luis Hernandez did most of the damage at the plate: Mora went 1-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Hernandez went a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one double. Those three RBI gave Mora a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Zac Tyre, who scored three runs while going 3-for-4.
South Dade was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .448. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Downtown Doral only posted a batting average of .222.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Varela, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They walked away with a 9-5 victory over St. Brendan on Monday.
Luis Sosa was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Varela let Jonathan Paniagua and Yoidi Martinez run wild. Paniagua scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3, while Martinez went 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Alejandro Ponte was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
Varela's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-6-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for South Dade, their win bumped their record up to 13-11.
