The Cocoa Beach Minutemen are taking a road trip to take on the Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Cocoa Beach's pitching crew has only allowed 3.7 runs per game this season, so Melbourne Central Catholic's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Cocoa Beach's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They put the hurt on Calvary Chapel Academy with a sharp 10-0 win. With that victory, the Minutemen brought their scoring average up to 6.2 runs per game.
Colton Marshall made a splash while hitting and pitching. He struck out seven batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in February.
Vincent Barchanowicz
| 04/10/25 vs Calvary Chapel Academy | 3 |
| 04/08/25 @ Palm Bay | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Astronaut | 1 |
| 03/18/25 vs New Smyrna Beach | 2 |
| 03/12/25 @ Cocoa | 3 |
In other batting news, Vincent Barchanowicz was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in March. The team also got some help courtesy of Angel Stanley, who went 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
Cocoa Beach always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .529. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Calvary Chapel Academy only posted an OBP of .280.
Meanwhile, Melbourne Central Catholic suffered their biggest defeat since April 15, 2024 on Thursday. They came up short against Harmony, falling 14-7. The Hustlers haven't had much luck with the Longhorns recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Melbourne Central Catholic also got a good showing from Zack Mannes, who pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the fewest hits Mannes has allowed since back in February.
At the plate, Austen Hester made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one home run and three RBI. That home run marked the first that he launched this season.
Cocoa Beach has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 14-9 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for Melbourne Central Catholic, their loss dropped their record down to 12-9.
Cocoa Beach skirted past Melbourne Central Catholic 6-5 when the teams last played back in March. Do the Minutemen have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hustlers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
