The Mulberry Panthers will be taking part in a tournament against the IMG Academy Silver Ascenders at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Mulberry proved they can win big on Friday (they won by 13) and on Tuesday they proved they can win the close ones too. They skirted past Bartow 6-4. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Yellow Jackets recently, as the game was their third consecutive win against them.
Griffin Cline made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Cline was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
In other pitching news, Jaden Sweeney tossed a big game, tossing 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits.
Back at the plate, Nic Partridge was excellent, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three RBI and one stolen base. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was AJ Medina, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy Silver was able to grind out a solid victory over Bartow on Monday, taking the game 8-3.
Henry Britt looked comfortable as he struck out ten batters over 3.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits (and only one walk).
At the plate, IMG Academy Silver got a massive performance out of Antonio Chavez, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Gavin Lemonds, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Mulberry pushed their record up to 2-1 with the win, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season. As for IMG Academy Silver, they now also have a winning record of 2-1.
Mulberry skirted past IMG Academy Silver 2-1 in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Mulberry since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
