The Mandarin Mustangs will head out on the road to take on the Fletcher Senators at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Mandarin is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.
Fletcher will be up against a hot Mandarin team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. Mandarin walked away with a 9-5 victory over Suncoast on Thursday.
Hunter Simpson
| 03/27/25 vs Suncoast | 2 |
| 03/17/25 @ Stanton | 1 |
| 03/14/25 @ Riverside | 1 |
| 03/13/25 @ Bishop Kenny | 1 |
| 03/04/25 vs Yulee | 1 |
Hunter Simpson was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Mandarin is 3-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 7-8 otherwise. Simpson was also big at the plate, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2. Those two runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Makarios Brown, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Cole Rusak, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Fletcher won against Baldwin on Tuesday with eight runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Thursday. Fletcher beat Bishop Kenny by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 8-2. Winning may never get old, but the Senators sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Dylan Johnson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on three hits.
At the plate, Tucker Demsey was excellent, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-5. The team also got some help courtesy of Cooper Bell, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Fletcher hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in three consecutive contests.
Fletcher's record is now 11-6-1. As for Mandarin, they now have a winning record of 10-9.
Mandarin couldn't quite get it done against Fletcher in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 as they fell 3-0. Can Mandarin avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
