Mater Academy Charter had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Friday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Somerset Academy Panthers. For the Lions, this counts as revenge for the 6-1 win the Panthers walked away with the last time they faced one another back in March of 2023.
Mater Academy Charter got a great performance from Gerald Barcelo as he pitched five innings while giving up just two earned runs off one hit. Mater Academy Charter is undefeated when Barcelo allowstwo or fewer hits, but 1-5 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Mater Academy Charter's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Eiker Noriega, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Noriega is becoming a predictor of Mater Academy Charter's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-5 when he doesn't). Jonathan Esponda was another, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and one double.
Lions
| 02/28/25 vs Somerset Academy | 5-4 |
| 02/27/25 vs Archbishop McCarthy | 11-5 |
| 02/25/25 vs Southridge | 5-4 |
| 02/18/25 vs Hialeah Gardens | 7-0 |
| 05/07/24 vs Suncoast | 7-5 |
| + 3 more games |
Mater Academy Charter pushed their record up to 4-5 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games. As for Somerset Academy, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-3 record this season.
Mater Academy Charter will be playing at home against iMater Charter at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Mater Academy Charter's pitching crew has only allowed 3.4 runs per game this season, so iMater Charter's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Somerset Academy, they will head out to face off against Deerfield Beach at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The last three games Somerset Academy has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
