Lemon Bay and Hardee are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2015, but likely not for long. The Manta Rays will face off against the Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Lemon Bay is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past Booker 16-1. The result was nothing new for the Manta Rays, who have now won eight matchups by seven runs or more so far this season.
Certayn Legg
| 04/29/25 vs Booker | 9 |
| 04/14/25 vs Southeast | 4 |
| 04/01/25 @ Southeast | 4 |
| 03/04/25 vs Charlotte | 3 |
Certayn Legg looked comfortable as she struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits. Those nine strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
At the plate, Stormi Reed was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and two runs. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Cassidy Robejsek was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Lemon Bay was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .667. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Hardee ultimately got the result they hoped for on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out DeSoto County 10-9. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Wildcats as it put an end to their four-game losing streak.
The team relied heavily on Lunna Guajardo, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Saydee Herrera, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI.
The win got Lemon Bay back to even at 10-10. As for Hardee, their victory bumped their record up to 6-16.
Hardee's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lemon Bay has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.7 hits per game. It's a different story for Hardee, though, as they've been averaging 10 hits. Given Lemon Bay's sizable advantage in that area, the Wildcats will need to find a way to close that gap.
Lemon Bay took their win against Hardee when the teams last played back in April by a conclusive 16-5 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Manta Rays since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
