The Belleview Rattlers will face off against the Seabreeze Sandcrabs at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Belleview is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They walked away with a 9-4 win over Mainland. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Rattlers.
Larry Quartararo looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
Gilbehert Mendoza
| 02/27/25 vs Crystal River | 4 |
| 04/15/25 vs Mainland | 3 |
| 03/07/25 @ West Port | 3 |
| 04/04/25 @ Lake Weir | 1 |
| 04/02/25 vs West Port | 1 |
| + 7 more games |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Gilbehert Mendoza, who scored three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He has become a key player for Belleview: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 10-11 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayce Windham, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Belleview always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mainland only posted an OBP of .355.
Meanwhile, Seabreeze got the win against Matanzas on Tuesday by a conclusive 13-1. The Sandcrabs have beaten the Pirates the last seven times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Pirates has come to flipping the script.
Tommy Hayes tossed a big game, pitching five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Seabreeze got a massive performance out of Rustin Hurley, who scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Jake Deising was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run.
Seabreeze's victory bumped their record up to 15-11. As for Belleview, their win bumped their record up to 13-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Belleview has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Seabreeze struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
