The Gulf Buccaneers will take on the Central Bears at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Gulf took a 17-run loss the last time they faced off against Zephyrhills, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Buccaneers' pitcher stepped up to hand the Bulldogs a 1-0 shutout on Wednesday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Buccaneers have posted since February 26th.
Jeovanna Carter
| 04/16/25 @ Zephyrhills | 17 |
| 04/14/25 vs Bishop McLaughlin Catholic | 8 |
| 04/11/25 @ Wesley Chapel | 8 |
| 04/10/25 vs Hudson | 14 |
| 04/09/25 @ Weeki Wachee | 19 |
| + 14 more games |
Not much got past Jeovanna Carter, who gave up just a hit and racked up 17 Ks to keep Zephyrhills off the board. Carter has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Gulf's victory was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Lillian Patrias, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits Patrias has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, Central had to endure a seven-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They put the hurt on Anclote with a sharp 17-2 win on Wednesday. Considering the Bears' hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Jaida Childs was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Childs was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Central got a massive performance out of Natalie Atkinson, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two triples, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Diandra Bayless, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3.
Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .636. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
The victory made it two in a row for Gulf and bumps their season record up to 8-11. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 0 runs in those games. As for Central, their victory bumped their record up to 3-16.
Gulf came out on top in a nail-biter against Central when the teams last played back in February, sneaking past 7-6. Do the Buccaneers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bears turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
