The Goleman Gators will face off against the ABF Academy Homestead Bandits at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Goleman took a loss when they played away from home last Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Homestead an 18-0 shutout. Considering the Gators' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Izaiah Guerrero looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk).
At the plate, Daniel Garcia was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1. Those two runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Kharu Hunter, who scored two runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask ABF Academy Homestead). They came out on top against Hialeah Educational Academy by a score of 10-5 on Wednesday.
Ashton Rafaela looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Nathan Castillo, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. Alex Reguiera was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
ABF Academy Homestead kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Goleman's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-2. As for ABF Academy Homestead, their victory ended a nine-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-5.
Goleman came up short against ABF Academy Homestead when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 12-7. Can Goleman avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
