Baseball Game Preview: Westlake Wildcats vs. Lakeland Hornets

The Westlake Wildcats will head out on the road to challenge the Lakeland Hornets at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Westlake is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.

Wednesday just wasn't the day for Westlake's offense. They lost 11-0 to Walter Panas on Wednesday. Having soared to a lofty 18 runs in the game before, the Wildcats' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.

Westlake saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Matthew Pippo, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one stolen base.

Meanwhile, Lakeland was not the first on the board on Thursday, but they got there more often. They came out on top against Croton-Harmon by a score of 7-4.

Alex Mautone made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out eight batters over 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with two RBI. Those two RBI gave him a new career-high.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Lou Vernagallo, who went 3-for-5 with three runs and one stolen base. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.

Westlake now has a losing record of 3-4. As for Lakeland, their record is now 6-8.

Westlake's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's match. The Wildcats have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Lakeland, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Westlake continue to outrun the ball? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.