The Seabreeze Sandcrabs will take on the Belleview Rattlers at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Seabreeze is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Matanzas with a sharp 13-1 victory. The Sandcrabs have beaten the Pirates the last seven times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Pirates has come to flipping the script.
Seabreeze got a great performance from Tommy Hayes as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. The Sandcrabs are undefeated when Hayes allows one or fewer earned runs, but 10-11 otherwise.
Rustin Hurley
| 04/15/25 vs Matanzas | 4 |
| 04/12/24 @ Matanzas | 3 |
| 03/04/25 vs Viera | 2 |
| 03/04/24 @ Mainland | 2 |
| 03/01/24 @ St. Augustine | 2 |
At the plate, Rustin Hurley was a standout: he scored four runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. Jake Deising was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI, two doubles, and one run.
Seabreeze always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Belleview was able to grind out a solid win over Mainland on Tuesday, taking the game 9-4. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Rattlers.
Larry Quartararo looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Gilbehert Mendoza was incredible, scoring three runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Jayce Windham, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Belleview's victory bumped their record up to 13-11. As for Seabreeze, their win bumped their record up to 15-11.
Seabreeze's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's match. The Sandcrabs have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Belleview, though, as they've been averaging only 0.7 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Seabreeze continue to outrun the ball? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
