The Gulf Buccaneers will head out on the road to challenge the South Sumter Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both teams come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Gulf took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. Everything went their way against Gibbs as Gulf made off with a 13-3 victory. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for Gulf considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Jaidon Sopjack and Rowan Graziano were a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Sopjack pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Graziano struck out 13 batters over five innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Sopjack has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive pitching appearances. At the plate, Sopjack scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-5, while Graziano scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
In other batting news, Gulf let Robert Butler and Logan Smith loose on the outfield. Butler went 3-for-4 with three RBI, a triple, and a double, while Smith scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Daniel Cruz was another key contributor, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, South Sumter entered their tilt with Belleview with eight consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with nine. They came out on top against the Rattlers by a score of 4-1 on Thursday.
South Sumter also got a great performance from Jackson Gill as he tossed five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits.
At the plate, South Sumter's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Gabriel Sabilona, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Gulf's record now sits at 9-10. As for South Sumter, their victory was their fifth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-9.
Gulf might still be hurting after the 16-1 loss they got from South Sumter in their previous meeting back in February. Can Gulf avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
