The Centennial Eagles will square off against the Suncoast Chargers at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Centennial 2.8, Suncoast 2.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Friday, Centennial needed a bit of extra time to put away Treasure Coast. They had just enough and edged out the Titans 2-1.
Alfonso Hernandez
| 03/07/25 vs Treasure Coast | 2 |
| 03/03/25 vs Westwood | 1 |
| 02/27/25 @ Tradition Prep | 1 |
| 02/21/25 @ Calvary Christian Academy | 1 |
| 02/20/25 vs Jensen Beach | 1 |
Alfonso Hernandez made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Michael DiDonato tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over 4.2 innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in February.
Hernandez wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Nicholas Nobles, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base. Yohalberth Romero also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, everything went Suncoast's way against Royal Palm Beach on Thursday as Suncoast made off with a 15-3 victory. With that win, the Chargers brought their scoring average up to 6.7 runs per game.
Like Centennial, Suncoast also got a great game from a two-way player: Brady Benevides. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, Benevides gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had since back in April of 2024. He was even better at the plate, going 3-for-4 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run.
In other pitching news, Suncoast got a great performance from Jason Giamboi as he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up three earned runs off seven hits.
Back at the plate, Lee Ellis was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. He is becoming a predictor of Suncoast's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-4 when he doesn't). Colin Campbell was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Suncoast kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That's a new trend for them: they were averaging 4.8 hits per game earlier this season, but in their last 15 matches they've averaged 10.
Suncoast has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-4 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. Centennial's victory was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 7-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Centennial has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Suncoast struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Centennial came out on top in a nail-biter against Suncoast in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Does Centennial have another victory up their sleeve, or will Suncoast turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
