The Island Coast Gators will play host again on Thursday to welcome the Port Charlotte Pirates, where first pitch is scheduled at 7:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
On Wednesday, it was close, but Island Coast sidestepped Fort Myers for a 5-4 win.
Isaac Lopez made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk). Lopez was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Grady Schwiezer looked comfortable as he tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off five hits (he also didn't allow any walks). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single walk in four consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Jordi Guerrero, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, a triple, and a stolen base.
Meanwhile, Port Charlotte had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 4.5 runs), and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They never let the Sharks onto the board and left with a 2-0 victory.
The result came thanks to Brock Budreau's shutout, as he gave up just four hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Adrian Nina, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Landon Carter, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with a stolen base.
Island Coast is on a roll lately: they've won eight of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 11-6 record this season. As for Port Charlotte, their win bumped their record up to 12-4.
Port Charlotte's pitching crew has a tough task ahead of them: Island Coast has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .437. It's a different story for Port Charlotte, though, as they've only averaged .360. Will they be able to contain Island Coast's hitters?
Island Coast was able to grind out a solid victory over Port Charlotte when the teams last played back in March of 2023, winning 6-1. Will Island Coast repeat their success, or does Port Charlotte have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
