The South Sumter Raiders will square off against the Nature Coast Tech Sharks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with South Sumter sitting on six straight wins and Nature Coast Tech on four.
South Sumter is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Crystal River get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The Raiders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 games by six runs or more this season.
The team relied heavily on Malakhi Boone, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. Gabe Sabilona was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Boone 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 six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Nature Coast Tech earned a 9-4 win over Hernando on Tuesday.
RAYMOND GROETSCH looked comfortable as he pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up a single earned run in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, BRADY MCMURDO and BECKETT MONROE did most of the damage at the plate: MCMURDO got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one home run and two RBI, while MONROE scored three runs while going 3-for-4. Those three runs gave MONROE a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of BRYCE HEWELL, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
South Sumter's victory bumped their record up to 19-4. As for Nature Coast Tech, their win bumped their record up to 18-7.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. South Sumter has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.4 hits per game. However, it's not like Nature Coast Tech struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.8 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South Sumter skirted past Nature Coast Tech 3-2 in their previous meeting back in March. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Sharks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
