The Mandarin Mustangs will square off against the Sandalwood Mighty Saints at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Mandarin is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last four games.
Mandarin is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Paxon School For Advanced Studies with a sharp 20-10 win on Tuesday. That's two games straight that the Mustangs have won by exactly ten runs.
Dylan Colligan made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times he's played.
Hunter Simpson
| 03/31/26 @ Paxon School For Advanced Studies | 3 |
| 03/30/26 vs Andrew Jackson | 2 |
| 03/19/26 vs Enterprise | 2 |
| 03/04/26 vs Yulee | 2 |
| 03/26/26 vs Andrew Jackson | 1 |
In other batting news, Hunter Simpson was a standout: he got on base in all five of his plate appearances with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (three). Francisco Garcia also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Mandarin was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .457. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, Sandalwood beat Wolfson 6-2 on Tuesday. The Mighty Saints haven't had any issues with the Wolfpack recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Like Mandarin, Sandalwood also got a great game from a two-way player: Parker Shuman. On the mound, he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Shuman was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
In other batting news, Trent Baskins was excellent, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one triple. Jandriel Agosto was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Mandarin's record is now 12-10. As for Sandalwood, their record now sits at 14-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Mandarin has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Sandalwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Mandarin couldn't quite finish off Sandalwood in their previous meeting back in February and fell 4-2. Can the Mustangs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
