The Hialeah Gardens Gladiators will venture away from home to take on the Coral Reef Barracudas at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Hialeah Gardens is coming into the game hot, having won their last eight games.
Last Thursday, Hialeah Gardens beat American 7-4.
Anthony Padilla tossed a big game, tossing five innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off four hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
Andrew Gonzalez
| 04/03/25 @ American | 3 |
| 04/01/25 @ Mater Lakes Academy | 2 |
| 03/20/25 vs Hialeah | 2 |
| 03/19/25 vs Reagan | 2 |
| 03/18/25 vs South Miami | 2 |
| + 7 more games |
At the plate, Hialeah Gardens let Andrew Gonzalez and Jerry Sosa run wild. Gonzalez scored three runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Sosa went 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Gonzalez has become a key player for Hialeah Gardens: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 5-8 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Nicholas Ceballos, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Coral Reef posted their closest win since March 6th on Monday. They had just enough and edged out iMater Charter 4-3. The Barracudas haven't had any issues with the Knights recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Coral Reef also got a great performance from Ethan Perez-Rivera as he didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Willy Vega and Dylan Quinzada did most of the damage at the plate: Vega got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one double and one RBI, while Quinzada scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Moises Gallardo also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Hialeah Gardens' win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-8. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Coral Reef, their record is now 7-15.
Tuesday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hialeah Gardens has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .477. However, it's not like Coral Reef struggles in that department as they've averaged .446. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Hialeah Gardens was able to grind out a solid win over Coral Reef when the teams last played back in March of 2024, winning 10-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Gladiators since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
