The IMG Academy Royal Ascenders will face off against the Carrollwood Day Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The last three games IMG Academy Royal has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
While IMG Academy Royal's win against Sports Leadership & Management wasn't quite the blowout they won the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. IMG Academy Royal narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Sports Leadership & Management 5-4. Five seems to be a good number for the Ascenders as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Richie Alvarez looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Michael Pino
| 02/28/25 vs Sports Leadership & Management | 1 |
| 02/26/25 vs Inspiration Academy | 1 |
| 02/21/25 vs Bonita Springs | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Michael Pino, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. He has been hot recently, having also posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. Another player making a difference was Jaxson Vassallo, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
IMG Academy Royal always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sports Leadership & Management only posted an OBP of .375.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Carrollwood Day). They never let Saint Mary's Hall get on the board and left with a 13-0 victory on Friday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Patriots considering their two-run performance the match before.
Gabe Troya looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
At the plate, Carrollwood Day let Allen Soriano and Steven Vargo run wild. Soriano got on base in three of his four plate appearances with three RBI, one triple, and one run, while Vargo scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. What's more, Vargo posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in May of 2024. Christian Clarke was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2.
IMG Academy Royal's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 5-2. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 1.33 runs across that stretch. As for Carrollwood Day, the victory made it two in a row for them and also bumps their season record up to 5-2.
