St. Cloud is a perfect 10-0 against Gateway since February of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Bulldogs will take on the Panthers in a tournament on Wednesday. St. Cloud is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.
St. Cloud's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past Poinciana 15-0. Considering the Bulldogs have won ten games by more than eight runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Nate Muniz looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one hit any time he's pitched this season.
Luis Ecarri
| 04/01/25 vs Poinciana | 3 |
| 03/18/25 vs Hopkins | 2 |
| 03/11/25 @ Cypress Creek | 2 |
| 03/27/25 @ Davenport | 1 |
| 03/25/25 @ Apopka | 1 |
At the plate, St. Cloud let Luis Ecarri and Cole Davis run wild. Ecarri scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2, while Davis went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run and two runs. The dominant performance also gave Ecarri a new career-high in RBI (three). Drew Kelley was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2.
St. Cloud hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least five strikeouts batters in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Gateway hadn't done well against Tohopekaliga recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Panthers won by a run and slipped past the Tigers 8-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since April 12, 2024.
Diego Vazqueztell was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run and four RBI. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. Another player making a difference was Eddie Lopez, who scored two runs while going 3-for-3.
St. Cloud's victory was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 13-5. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.0 runs over those games. As for Gateway, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 10-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. St. Cloud has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gateway struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
St. Cloud took their win against Gateway when the teams last played back in February by a conclusive 20-4 score. Do the Bulldogs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Panthers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
