The Lake Brantley Patriots will challenge the Winter Park Wildcats at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Lake Brantley 3.1, Winter Park 2.9) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Lake Brantley's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Friday's struggle, when Hagerty hitters got past them. The Patriots came up short against the Huskies on Friday, falling 10-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Patriots have suffered since February 15th.
Lake Brantley got a good showing from Finn Yates, who struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). That's the first time Yates hasn't allowed a single earned run since back in February.
On the hitting side, Maurice Brown made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryce Mauger, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Winter Park entered their tilt with Apopka on Friday with seven consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with eight. They never let the Blue Darters get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. Winter Park's victory was all the more impressive since the Blue Darters were averaging only 3.37 runs allowed on the season.
Chase Carney tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.
At the plate, Winter Park saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Mac Madsen, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three RBI. Those three RBI gave Madsen a new career-high. Another was Carter Smith, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in both of his plate appearances.
Winter Park pushed their record up to 18-3 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Lake Brantley, their defeat dropped their record down to 14-6-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lake Brantley has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Winter Park struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lake Brantley might still be hurting after the 17-1 loss they got from Winter Park when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Will the Patriots 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.
