The Cocoa Beach Minutemen will head out on the road to take on the Merritt Island Mustangs at 7:15 p.m. on Monday. Cocoa Beach is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 12.4 runs per game this season.
Cocoa Beach will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Thursday, then bounced right back against Father Lopez on Friday. Cocoa Beach put the hurt on Father Lopez with a sharp 23-8 victory. Considering the Minutemen's hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Natalia Soto was a standout: she scored four runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1. She also put up a hit, which was her first of the season. Kylie Kahl was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Cocoa Beach kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, Merritt Island might've scored the first runs on Wednesday, but it was Astronaut who claimed the real prize. Merritt Island fell just short of Astronaut by a score of 8-7.
Elena Rollen made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Rollen is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's stole at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Another player making a difference was Keilen Cecere, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Merritt Island now has a losing record of 1-2. As for Cocoa Beach, their record now sits at 4-2-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Cocoa Beach has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Merritt Island struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Cocoa Beach suffered a grim 14-1 defeat to Merritt Island in their previous matchup back in February of 2024. Can Cocoa Beach avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
