The McKeel Academy Wildcats will square off against the Wiregrass Ranch Bulls at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Wiregrass Ranch took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on McKeel Academy, who comes in off a win.
McKeel Academy is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They skirted past Lake Gibson 6-4. The victory continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Braves: they've now won nine in a row.
Kaden Howell made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-5. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in March of 2024.
In other pitching news, Cooper Hamilton looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up a single hits in three consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Aedan Tompkins was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one double. Those RBI marked the first that he's brought in this season. Another player making a difference was Logan Gill, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one stolen base and one double.
Meanwhile, Wiregrass Ranch didn't have quite enough to beat IMG Academy Gold on Friday and fell 9-8. The Bulls have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Wiregrass Ranch also got a good showing from Ryan Simmons, who tossed 3.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit.
On the hitting side, Julius Jessurun made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Pedro Castro was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
The win got McKeel Academy back to even at 2-2. As for Wiregrass Ranch, they now have a losing record of 1-2.
McKeel Academy skirted past Wiregrass Ranch 2-1 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Does McKeel Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Wiregrass Ranch turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
