The George Jenkins Eagles will face off against the Lakeland Christian Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Last Tuesday, George Jenkins made easy work of McKeel Academy and carried off a 12-2 victory. The Eagles haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Olivia Friel spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and one unearned) run on four hits and racked up seven Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Alaina Kennedy
| 04/01/25 @ McKeel Academy | 3 |
| 04/04/24 vs McKeel Academy | 2 |
| 03/19/24 @ McKeel Academy | 2 |
| 03/29/25 vs Westminster Christian | 1 |
| 03/26/25 @ Bartow | 1 |
On the hitting side, George Jenkins let Alaina Kennedy and Audrey Gideon run wild. Kennedy went 3-for-4 with five RBI and one double, while Gideon went a perfect 2-for-2 with four RBI, one run, and one double. Those three hits gave Kennedy a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jazlyn Duque, who scored three runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Lakeland Christian, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 14-2 margin over Frostproof on Tuesday. The high-scoring effort was just what the Vikings needed considering they were shut out in their previous contest.
Riley Merritt made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed six innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits. Merritt was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Lakeland Christian got a massive performance out of Rylan Rollyson, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all five of her plate appearances. Paityn Donalson was another key player, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, one stolen base, and one run.
Lakeland Christian has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.2 runs over those games. As for George Jenkins, their win bumped their record up to 8-6.
