The Stoneman Douglas Eagles are taking a road trip to square off against the St. Thomas Aquinas Raiders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Stoneman Douglas 2.3, St. Thomas Aquinas 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Stoneman Douglas is probably headed into the matchup with a chip on their shoulder considering Sickles just ended the team's 16-game winning streak on Wednesday. They fell just short of the Gryphons by a score of 5-4.
Bennett Gary and Jake Rizzo stepped up to the plate in a big way. Gary scored a run and stole two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Rizzo scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, St. Thomas Aquinas had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it seven on Wednesday. They put the hurt on the Sharks with a sharp 11-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Raiders, who have now won ten contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Julian Diaz tossed a big game, striking out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brady Buxbaum, who fired off two home runs, four runs, and three RBI while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. Cole Lasher was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one home run and four RBI.
St. Thomas Aquinas lost a few balls and finished the game with four home runs. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Spanish River didn't launched any home runs.
St. Thomas Aquinas pushed their record up to 15-4-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.0 runs over those games. As for Stoneman Douglas, their defeat dropped their record down to 17-2.
Stoneman Douglas skirted past St. Thomas Aquinas 3-1 in their previous matchup back in February. The rematch might be a little tougher for Stoneman Douglas since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
