Baseball Game Preview: Gainesville Hurricanes vs. Lafayette Hornets

The Gainesville Hurricanes will square off against the Lafayette Hornets at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Gainesville has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the game with five straight defeats, while Lafayette will come in with eight straight wins.

Gainesville came up short against Trenton on Friday, falling 14-6.

Chris Eckhardt

Hits (Career)

03/28/25 vs Trenton	3
03/25/25 @ P.K. Yonge	2
03/13/25 vs Branford	2
03/04/25 @ Trenton	2
02/14/25 vs P.K. Yonge	2

Chris Eckhardt made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Cade Dixon, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Lafayette had just enough and edged out Fort White 5-3 on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Hornets have posted against the Indians since March 1, 2022.

Lathan Garrard was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3. That stolen base was his first of the season. Tywan Williamson was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI.

Lafayette pushed their record up to 14-2 with the win, which was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Gainesville, their loss dropped their record down to 6-8.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Gainesville has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lafayette struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.

Gainesville suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Lafayette in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will Gainesville have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.