The Osceola Kowboys will challenge the Coral Reef Barracudas at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Osceola will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
Osceola proved they can win big on Thursday (they won by 16) and on Friday they proved they can win the close ones too. They had just enough and edged out Waverly Central 3-2. The three-run effort marked the Kowboys' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Milanys Lopez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Tenley Dawson, who scored a run and stole three bases while going 1-for-2. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game. Samanthalea Edwards was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Coral Reef made sure to put some runs up on the board against Florida Christian last Thursday. Coral Reef was the clear victor by an 11-5 margin over Florida Christian. The result was nothing new for the Barracudas, who have now won four games by six runs or more so far this season.
Coral Reef also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Quinley Wylie gave up only one earned (and four unearned) runs on six hits.
On the hitting side, Coral Reef got a massive performance out of Sierra Johnson, who scored two runs while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave Johnson a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Gia Baltodano, who scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
Coral Reef was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .459. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Florida Christian only posted a batting average of .259.
Osceola's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-3. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Coral Reef, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-2 record this season.
Osceola's speedy runners might be the difference in Wednesday's matchup. Osceola has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Coral Reef, though, as they've been averaging only 0.6 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Osceola continue to outrun the ball?
Osceola came out on top in a nail-biter against Coral Reef in their previous matchup back in March of 2016, sneaking past 3-2. Does Osceola have another victory up their sleeve, or will Coral Reef turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
