The Atlantic Coast Stingrays will face off against the Fletcher Senators at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Atlantic Coast 4.1, Fletcher 2.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.
While Atlantic Coast's win against First Coast wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Stingrays' pitchers stepped up to hand the Buccaneers a 1-0 shutout on Wednesday. Those one runs were actually the fewest the Stingrays have put up all season, but given the result they're probably not too concerned.
Atlantic Coast's victory was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was AJ Toledo, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one double. That double marked the first that Toledo has hit this season. Tyson Borer was another, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run.
Meanwhile, Fletcher had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They came out on top against Bartram Trail by a score of 3-0 on Thursday. The game was the first time the Senators have beaten the Bears on their field since April 20, 2017.
Bruce Neel tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out seven over 6.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Carson Shaffer was excellent, going 2-for-3 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Fletcher's win bumped their record up to 3-10. As for Atlantic Coast, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
Fletcher's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Atlantic Coast has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .444. It's a different story for Fletcher, though, as they've only averaged .253. Will they be able to contain Atlantic Coast's hitters?
Atlantic Coast beat Fletcher 4-1 when the teams last played back in March of 2025. Will the Stingrays repeat their success, or do the Senators have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
