The Land O' Lakes Gators will face off against the Cypress Creek Coyotes at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Land O' Lakes 3.3, Cypress Creek 3.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Land O' Lakes is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Wiregrass Ranch just ended the team's six-game winning streak on Friday. They lost 10-4 to the Bulls. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Gators, who until this contest were averaging 3.35 runs allowed.
Land O' Lakes got a good showing from Ryan Mabry, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. Mabry has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Ethan Barclay was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run while going 2-for-2. Jose Leger was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Cypress Creek never let their opponents score on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 14-0 margin over Zephyrhills. The Coyotes haven't had any issues with the Bulldogs recently, as the game was their third consecutive victory against them.
Cooper Neale looked comfortable as he pitched 2.1 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has become a key player for Cypress Creek: the team is 5-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 6-7 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Andrew Farriss and Michel Latuff did most of the damage at the plate: Farriss scored two runs while going 2-for-2, while Latuff went a perfect 1-for-1 with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Those two RBI gave Latuff a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Everett Burgess, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Cypress Creek was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .560. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Cypress Creek's win bumped their record up to 11-8. As for Land O' Lakes, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Land O' Lakes has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cypress Creek struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Land O' Lakes was able to grind out a solid victory over Cypress Creek in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 5-0. Will the Gators repeat their success, or do the Coyotes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
