Despite a phenomenal run in the regular season, Melbourne couldn't carry that success into this playoff game. They fell just short of the Viera Hawks by a score of 4-3 on Wednesday. The Bulldogs have struggled against the Hawks recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive lost meeting.
Jacob Hershey was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed six innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Gabriel Gonzalez was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryson Ayala, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run.
Melbourne's defeat dropped their record down to 17-8. As for Viera, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-9 record this season.
Melbourne and Viera are set to take part in some playoff action in their next matches. The Bulldogs will square off against Lake Minneola at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Hawks' pitching crew has only allowed 3.9 runs per game this season, so Melbourne's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Viera, they will take on Dwyer at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The Hawks' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Panthers have averaged an impressive 6.6 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
