The Mater Bay Academy Rays will take on the Ferguson Falcons in a tournament on Thursday. Mater Bay Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8 runs per game this season.
Mater Bay Academy fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against Lourdes Academy on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of Lourdes Academy by a score of 7-6.
Paiten Mclaughlin
| 03/10/25 @ Lourdes Academy | 11 |
| 03/07/25 @ Marathon | 11 |
| 03/03/25 vs Mater Lakes Academy | 15 |
| 02/26/25 @ Florida Christian | 2 |
| 02/19/25 vs Academy for Innovative Education | 5 |
| + 1 more games |
Paiten Mclaughlin put in work while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 11 batters over 7.2 innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5.3 strikeouts per game. She was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing Two bases. while going 3-for-5.
In other batting news, Katlynn Figueroa made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI. That triple was her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Jarilynn Romero, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Even though they lost, Mater Bay Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. This was only their first loss (out of four games) when they post 11 or more hits.
While Ferguson didn't have the best season last year (they finished 6-16-1), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They blew past South Dade 17-2 on Friday. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by 11 runs or more this season.
Ashley Barroso made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed four innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits. Barroso was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of her plate appearances with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Nathalia Salvat and Amaya Santamaria did most of the damage at the plate: Salvat scored four runs and stole Four bases. while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances, while Santamaria went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Andreaneliz Rivera was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing Three bases. while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances.
Ferguson is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-2 record this season. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 15.8 runs. Mater Bay Academy's defeat dropped their record down to 5-4.
Both Mater Bay Academy and Ferguson just can't seem to miss. Mater Bay Academy has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.7 hits per game. However, it's not like Ferguson struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 3.9 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Mater Bay Academy took their win against Ferguson in their previous matchup back in March of 2024 by a conclusive 13-2. Does Mater Bay Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ferguson turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
