vs
| 04/23/24 - Home | 3-0 W |
| 04/25/23 - Home | 11-0 W |
| 04/22/22 - Away | 10-0 W |
| 04/27/21 - Neutral | 4-7 L |
| 04/15/21 - Away | 0-10 L |
| + 5 more games |
Crystal River and Dunnellon are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2018, but likely not for long. The Crystal River Pirates will head out on the road to face off against the Dunnellon Tigers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Crystal River will be coming into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
On Wednesday, Crystal River was able to grind out a solid win over Citrus, taking the game 7-2.
Violet Flynn made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out 16 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI. That double was her first of the season.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Athena Childs, who scored two runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Emma Crosby, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-5.
Meanwhile, Dunnellon hadn't done well against The Villages Charter recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Dunnellon narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past The Villages Charter 3-2.
Makayla Duncan spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits.
Crystal River pushed their record up to 4-0 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs over those games. As for Dunnellon, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Crystal River has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 14.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Dunnellon struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Crystal River beat Dunnellon 3-0 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Crystal River since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
