The South Fork Bulldogs will face off against the Tradition Prep Pirates at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. The squads are rolling into the game with opposing streaks: South Fork has struggled recently with three defeats in a row, while Tradition Prep will arrive with three straight victories.
South Fork's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Monday's struggle, when Martin County hitters got past them. The Bulldogs came up short against the Tigers on Monday, falling 11-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Bulldogs have suffered since March 26, 2024.
South Fork got a good showing from Jackson Turull, who pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Turull has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, South Fork saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jason Dennis, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Tradition Prep got themselves on the board against Lake Worth on Tuesday, but Lake Worth never followed suit. They blew past the Trojans 10-0. The Pirates might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five matches by ten runs or more this season.
Sebastian Garcia was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed 3.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases. Tradition Prep is undefeated when Garcia posts two or more runs, but 5-8 otherwise.
In other pitching news, Tyler Hagan looked comfortable as he tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He is becoming a predictor of Tradition Prep's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 2-1 (and 6-7 when he doesn't).
Back at the plate, Tradition Prep let Aliet Garcia and Jack Greene run wild. Garcia scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3, while Greene scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Greene has become a key player for Tradition Prep: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 1-8 otherwise.
Tradition Prep pushed their record up to 8-8 with the win, which was their third straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for South Fork, their defeat dropped their record down to 11-11.
South Fork took their win against Tradition Prep in their previous meeting back in March by a conclusive 13-7 score. Will the Bulldogs repeat their success, or do the Pirates have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
