Baseball Recap: Cypress Lake Triumphs

Cypress Lake's game last Friday was a loss, but they didn't let that memory haunt them on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past the LaBelle Cowboys/Cowgirls 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Panthers have posted since April 29, 2024.

Luigi Smith

Batters Struck Out (Career)

03/04/25 vs LaBelle	10
03/11/24 @ LaBelle	5
02/28/25 @ Lemon Bay	3
02/11/25 @ Port Charlotte	2
02/26/24 vs Charlotte	1

Luigi Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up ten Ks. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in strikeouts.

At the plate, Cypress Lake's win was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Evan Skaggs, who scored a run while going 2-for-3. Another was Leonardo Smith, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.

Cypress Lake's victory was their first in the district, bumping their district record up to 1-2 and their overall record up to 3-4. As for LaBelle, they dropped their record down to 2-6 with the defeat, which was their fifth straight on the road dating back to last season.

Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. A feisty cat fight will be fought as Cypress Lake Panthers challenge Estero Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Estero is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season. As for LaBelle, they will venture away from home to square off against Frostproof at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday.