Florida Christian is a perfect 3-0 against Braddock since March of 2016 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Patriots will be playing at home against the Bulldogs at 7:15 p.m. Braddock took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Florida Christian, who comes in off a win.
Florida Christian took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They skirted past Coral Springs 5-4. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Patriots as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Sebastian Blanco
| 04/02/25 vs Coral Springs | 8 |
| 02/26/25 vs South Dade | 6 |
| 03/08/25 vs Coral Reef | 5 |
| 03/05/24 vs Miami Springs | 5 |
| 03/15/25 @ Southridge | 4 |
Sebastian Blanco tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over 4.1 innings while giving up three earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ethan Jimenez, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in February. The team also got some help courtesy of Sebastian Rodriguez, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Braddock came up short against Southwest on Tuesday and fell 6-3. The Bulldogs haven't had much luck with the Eagles recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.
Eduardo Echeverria was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 4.2 innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in ten consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Jorge Gonzalez was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Sebastian Llamozas, who scored a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
Florida Christian pushed their record up to 12-9 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.2 runs on average over those games. As for Braddock, their defeat dropped their record down to 15-5-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Florida Christian has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Braddock struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 6.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Florida Christian was able to grind out a solid win over Braddock when the teams last played back in April of 2019, winning 5-0. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Bulldogs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
