Gulf Coast is 8-1 against Estero since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Gulf Coast Sharks will head out on the road to face off against the Estero Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Gulf Coast never got on the board in their matchup on Tuesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against American Heritage last Friday. They were the clear victor by a 10-3 margin over the Stallions.
Vincent Mattei made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off seven hits. Mattei has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Mattei was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Peyton Hale and Jonathan Kacinas did most of the damage at the plate: Hale scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-2, while Kacinas scored a run while going 2-for-4. Jet Diaz was another key contributor, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Estero waltzed into their game on Thursday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They never let the Cowboys/Cowgirls onto the board and left with a 9-0 victory.
Like Gulf Coast, Estero also got a great game from a two-way player: Will Swan. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out nine over 5.1 innings pitched. Swan was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Case Bowman and Ian Messinger did most of the damage at the plate: Bowman scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4, while Messinger scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
Gulf Coast pushed their record up to 12-6 with that win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.9 runs per game. As for Estero, their record now sits at 16-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Gulf Coast has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Estero struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.9. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Gulf Coast beat Estero 4-1 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Estero's Nicholas Staszak, who pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits (he also only allowed one walk). Now that he won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Gulf Coast to walk away with another win? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
