The Mulberry Panthers will hit the road for the first time this season to take on the Bartow Yellow Jackets at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Mulberry will be strutting in after a win while Bartow will be coming in after a loss.
Mulberry was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last contest, but they sure didn't let that happen against Haines City on Friday. Mulberry's pitchers stepped up to hand Haines City a 13-0 shutout. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Hornets recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Braden Jones looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in March of 2024.
On the hitting side, Brock Thielen and Cole Bedenbaugh did most of the damage at the plate: Thielen went a perfect2-for-2 with four RBI, one run, and one double, while Bedenbaugh scored three runs while going 2-for-2. That's the most RBI Thielen has posted since back in March of 2024. Another player making a difference was Griffin Cline, who went 1-for-2 with three RBI and one triple.
Mulberry always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .556. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Haines City only posted an OBP of .188.
Meanwhile, Bartow came up short against IMG Academy Silver on Monday and fell 8-3. The loss continues a trend for the Yellow Jackets in their matchups with the Ascenders: they've now lost five in a row.
The win got Mulberry back to even at 1-1. As for Bartow, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-2.
Mulberry skirted past Bartow 5-3 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mulberry since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
