The Inspiration Academy Lions will challenge the Lake Placid Dragons at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Inspiration Academy is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last 14 games.
Inspiration Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Calvary Christian, who was ranked third at the time (Inspiration Academy was ranked 16th). The Lions came out on top against the Warriors by a score of 7-2 on Thursday.
Elle Hildreth spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
Jade Carnahan
| 04/10/25 vs Calvary Christian | 3 |
| 04/08/25 @ Academy of the Holy Names | 0 |
| 04/07/25 @ Bradenton Christian | 2 |
| 04/04/25 vs Lake Wales | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Bishop Verot | 1 |
| + 3 more games |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jade Carnahan, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-3. That's the most runs she has posted since back in February. Another player making a difference was Amelia Mejias, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Lake Placid made easy work of Frostproof on Thursday and carried off a 12-6 victory. The Dragons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine games by six runs or more this season.
Emily Tharp made a splash no matter where she played. On the mound, she tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Tharp was even better at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Lake Placid let Jillian Garduno and Hadlee Prescott run wild. Garduno scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Prescott went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that Prescott hit this season. Paige Person was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Inspiration Academy pushed their record up to 20-4 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Lake Placid, the win got them back to even at 10-10.
Inspiration Academy took their victory against Lake Placid in their previous meeting back in February by a conclusive 18-8 score. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Dragons have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
