Leon has gone 9-1 against Rickards recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. Leon is taking a road trip to take on Rickards at 5:00 p.m. Leon is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.3 runs per game this season.
Leon will roll into the game after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against Godby on Thursday. Leon never let Godby get on the board and left with a 14-0 win. The Lions might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by seven runs or more this season.
Kolbe Baker
| 03/27/25 @ Godby | 4 |
| 02/28/25 vs Rickards | 3 |
| 02/12/25 vs Franklin County | 3 |
| 04/02/24 @ Rickards | 3 |
| 03/11/25 @ Fort Meade | 1 |
Kolbe Baker made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (four). He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Baker Safley and Jacob Strunk did most of the damage at the plate: Safley scored two runs while going 1-for-4, while Strunk scored three runs while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Leon is 8-1 when Safley posts two or more runs, but 3-6 otherwise. Raney McMullian also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Leon always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They are a perfect 8-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last contest, Rickards made sure to put some runs up on the board against Florida State University High School on Tuesday. Rickards came out on top in a nail-biter against Florida State University High School, sneaking past 16-15. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Raiders have posted since March 4th.
Like Leon, Rickards also got a great game from a two-way player: Troy Williams. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over four innings pitched. Williams has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in three of his six plate appearances.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Chris Turner, who scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. Jahmir Williams was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances.
Rickards' record is now 5-11. As for Leon, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 11-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Leon has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Rickards struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Leon's way against Rickards when the teams last played back in February, as Leon made off with a 9-0 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for Leon since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
