vs
| 02/24/23 - Home | 8-2 W |
| 04/14/21 - Home | 11-1 W |
| 04/02/19 - Away | 2-11 L |
| 03/13/19 - Home | 2-3 L |
| 03/22/18 - Home | 7-11 L |
| + 3 more games |
Melbourne Central Catholic and Cocoa Beach are an even 4-4 against one another since February of 2016, but likely not for long. The Hustlers will challenge the Minutemen at 5:15 p.m. on Tuesday. Melbourne Central Catholic is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last 12 games.
Last Tuesday, Melbourne Central Catholic made easy work of Okeechobee and carried off an 11-1 win. Considering the Hustlers have won ten games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Madelynn Prayto made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 13 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Shakiya Harris was incredible, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three RBI, and one stolen base. Madelyn Oesterle was another key player, going 2-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base.
Melbourne Central Catholic always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .531. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Okeechobee only posted an OBP of .235.
Meanwhile, two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only Cocoa Beach walked away with it. They came out on top against the Tigers by a score of 7-2 on Monday. The victory continues a trend for the Minutemen in their matchups with the Tigers: they've now won four in a row.
Cocoa Beach saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Zoe Vella, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double. Another was Naomi Knight, who earned two RBI and one run.
Melbourne Central Catholic's win was their 12th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 17-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Cocoa Beach, their win bumped their record up to 13-10.
Cocoa Beach's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Melbourne Central Catholic hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .368. It's a different story for Cocoa Beach, though, as they've only averaged .255. Will they be able to contain Melbourne Central Catholic's hitters?
Everything went Melbourne Central Catholic's way against Cocoa Beach in their previous meeting back in February of 2023, as Melbourne Central Catholic made off with an 8-2 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hustlers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
