The Lemon Bay Manta Rays are taking a road trip to take on the Island Coast Gators at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Lemon Bay 4, Island Coast 2.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Lemon Bay is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past LaBelle 3-2. The Manta Rays haven't had any issues with the Cowboys/Cowgirls recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Drew Smith
| 04/15/25 @ LaBelle | 6 |
| 04/11/25 vs Aubrey Rogers | 2 |
| 04/05/25 vs North Port | 1 |
| 04/01/25 @ DeSoto County | 5 |
| 03/15/25 @ Key West | 3 |
| + 3 more games |
Lemon Bay got a great performance from Drew Smith as he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over 4.1 innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts Smith has posted since back in February.
On the hitting side, Lemon Bay's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Wyatt Bush, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Island Coast got themselves on the board against Cypress Lake on Tuesday, but Cypress Lake never followed suit. They didn't even let the Panthers on the board, marking their second-straight 10-0 shutout. The Gators might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 12 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Jayven Torres and Jacob Fowler did most of the damage at the plate: Torres scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Fowler scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Fowler also brought in two RBI, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Logan Hawkins, who scored two runs and stole a base.
Island Coast is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-6 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.7 runs over those games. As for Lemon Bay, their record is now 13-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lemon Bay has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Island Coast struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Lemon Bay couldn't quite get it done against Island Coast in their previous matchup back in February of 2024 as they fell 8-4. Can the Manta Rays avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
