Softball Recap: Bartow Takes Down Lake Howell in a Playoff Battle

Bartow had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They came out on top against the Lake Howell Silverhawks by a score of 7-4 on Tuesday. The Yellow Jackets have seen this before: they got the W the last time they saw the Silverhawks, too.

Ryleigh Knowlton

Batters Struck Out

05/13/25 @ Lake Howell	13
05/08/25 vs Viera	6
04/28/25 vs Tampa Bay Tech	5
04/22/25 vs Auburndale	5
04/18/25 @ Lake Region	3
+ 12 more games

Ryleigh Knowlton spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up 13 Ks. With that strong performance, she is now averaging an impressive 5 strikeouts per game.

On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Niamah Johnson, who went 3-for-5 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Emma Huffman, who went 4-for-5 with one run and one double.

They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Bartow kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lake Howell only managed six hits.

Bartow has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-7 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Lake Howell, with the defeat, they broke their 16-game winning streak and moved their record to 22-5.

Looking ahead, Bartow will face off against Bloomingdale at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Yellow Jackets 3.5, the Bulls 3.4) so any runs scored will be well earned. Lake Howell does not have any more games scheduled as of now.