The Sunlake Seahawks will face off against the IMG Academy Silver Ascenders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Sunlake sitting on six straight victories and IMG Academy Silver on eight.
On Thursday, Sunlake beat Pasco 5-1.
Wyatt Dion looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over four innings pitched. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances.
Lucas Zarlenga
| 04/10/25 vs Pasco | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Cypress Creek | 2 |
| 03/28/25 vs Mitchell | 2 |
| 03/27/25 @ Zephyrhills | 2 |
| 03/13/25 vs Anclote | 2 |
| + 7 more games |
On the hitting side, Sunlake let Lucas Zarlenga and Dominic Italiano run wild. Zarlenga scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2, while Italiano scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Sunlake is undefeated when Zarlenga posts two or more runs, but 7-8 otherwise.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy Silver won against Boca Ciega on Tuesday with ten runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Wednesday. The Ascenders didn't even let Inspiration Academy Red on the board, marking the Ascenders' second-straight 10-0 shutout. The Ascenders' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last four matchups.
Henry Britt looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched.
At the plate, IMG Academy Silver got a big performance out of JP Piles, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. That's the most RBI Piles has posted since back in March. Chino Santana was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
IMG Academy Silver was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .480. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
IMG Academy Silver's win was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 16-5. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Sunlake, their record is now 13-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Sunlake has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like IMG Academy Silver struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Sunlake couldn't quite get it done against IMG Academy Silver in their previous matchup back in March of 2020 as they fell 3-0. Can the Seahawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
