Softball Game Preview: Lake Minneola Hawks vs. Horizon Hawks

We've got a battle between Hawks coming up. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

Lake Minneola lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Auburndale, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Tuesday's match. Everything went Lake Minneola's way against Auburndale on Tuesday as Lake Minneola made off with a 7-1 win. That looming 7-1 mark stands out as the most commanding margin for the Hawks yet this season.

Kenzie Merkey spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits.

On the hitting side, Lake Minneola's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Nevaeha Parra, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.

Lake Minneola hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in eight consecutive contests dating back to last season.

Meanwhile, Horizon got themselves on the board against Windermere on Tuesday, but Windermere never followed suit. They came out on top against the Wolverines by a score of 3-0. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Hawks.

The result came thanks to Mackenzie Duncan's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up 13 Ks.

Lake Minneola's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 4-2. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Horizon, their victory bumped their record up to 7-1.

Lake Minneola might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Horizon when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Will Lake Minneola have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.