The Florida Christian Patriots will square off against the Mater Bay Academy Rays at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Florida Christian's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They walked away with a 4-0 victory over St. Brendan. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Patriots.
St. Brendan's batters probably weren't too happy with Serena Gillen, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 17 Ks (she gave up zero walks). Gillen has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single walks any time she's pitched this season.
At the plate, Emma Medina and Samantha Otano did most of the damage at the plate: Medina went 2-for-3 with one triple and one RBI, while Otano scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. What's more, Otano posted three hits, the most she's had since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Kayla Diaz, who scored a run while going 2-for-2.
Florida Christian was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Brendan only posted a batting average of .000.
Mater Bay Academy never got on the board in their matchup on Wednesday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Somerset Academy South Homestead on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Hurricanes with a sharp 11-1 win. The victory continues a trend for the Rays in their matchups with the Hurricanes: they've now won three in a row.
Amber Gutierrez made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only a hit while striking out ten over six innings pitched. Gutierrez was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Mia Perez was excellent, scoring a run while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Keeley Haugen, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Florida Christian now has a winning record of 2-1. As for Mater Bay Academy, they now also have a winning record of 2-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Florida Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mater Bay Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Florida Christian took their win against Mater Bay Academy in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 19-4. Does Florida Christian have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mater Bay Academy turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
