We've got a battle between Hawks coming up. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Horizon saw some tournament action on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over Flagler Palm Coast. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Hawks.
Brayden Crow looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He also tossed three walks, marking his first of the season.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Sebastian Davila, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple. That triple was his first of the season. Michael Singer was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Horizon was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .448. They are a perfect 6-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Lake Minneola). Their pitchers stepped up to hand East Ridge a 15-0 shutout on Friday. With that victory, the Hawks brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Maddux Bultema was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
In other batting news, Tyler Pierre was incredible, going 2-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Chase Dougherty, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Lake Minneola is on a roll lately: they've won nine of their last 11 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 10-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.6 runs over those games. Horizon's record now sits at 11-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Horizon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lake Minneola struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
