The Sickles Gryphons will take on the East Lake Eagles at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Sickles is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over Largo. The victory continues a trend for the Gryphons in their matchups with the Packers: they've now won four in a row.
Brandon Gonzales made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit over 4.2 innings pitched. Gonzales was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March.
In other pitching news, Connor Bly looked comfortable as he tossed 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Back at the plate, Jake Taylor was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in March. Another player making a difference was Charlie Martz, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, East Lake came tearing into Tuesday's matchup with six straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 5 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Mustangs get on the board and left with an 8-0 win.
The team relied heavily on Brayden Spink, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Jackson Palmer was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
East Lake pushed their record up to 19-6 with the victory, which was their sixth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Sickles, their victory bumped their record up to 19-7.
Both Sickles and East Lake just can't seem to miss. The Gryphons have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. However, it's not like East Lake 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. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
