Baseball Game Preview: Lecanto Panthers vs. The Villages Charter Buffalo

Lecanto is 2-8 against The Villages Charter since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Lecanto Panthers will look to defend their home field against The Villages Charter Buffalo at 7:00 p.m. The Villages Charter took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on Lecanto, who comes in off a win.

Lecanto was handed a eight-run defeat in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Crystal River, sneaking past 4-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Panthers have posted since February 13th.

The team relied heavily on Garrett Pitzer, who scored two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Brayden Aungst also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.

Meanwhile, The Villages Charter's undefeated season came to an end after nine games on Wednesday. They fell 6-2 to Apopka. The game marked the Buffalo's lowest-scoring contest so far this season.

Lecanto's victory ended a six-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 3-8. As for The Villages Charter, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 9-1.

Lecanto came up short against The Villages Charter when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 5-1. Can Lecanto avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.