The Durant Cougars will square off against the Bloomingdale Bulls at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Durant 3.8, Bloomingdale 1.4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Durant is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They walked away with an 8-4 victory over Horizon. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Cougars.
Dylan Hotz looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than one walk any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Brody Lissy was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April of 2024. Caleb Lambert was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Durant hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Bloomingdale got themselves on the board against Bartow on Tuesday, but Bartow never followed suit. They blew past the Yellow Jackets 10-0. Considering the Bulls have won 12 matchups by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Hayden Porter tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched.
At the plate, Payton Jennings and Alvin Cruz did most of the damage at the plate: Jennings scored a run while going 2-for-2, while Cruz scored a run while going 1-for-1. The team also got some help courtesy of Cesar Campos, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Bloomingdale is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 12 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.8 runs on average over those games. As for Durant, their victory bumped their record up to 15-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Durant has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bloomingdale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Durant might still be hurting after the 9-0 loss they got from Bloomingdale in their previous matchup back in February. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
