The Lakewood Ranch Mustangs will face off against the Lake Placid Dragons at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lakewood Ranch's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They put the hurt on Bayshore with a sharp 20-0 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Mustangs, who have now won four contests in a row.
Bella Toscano
| 03/28/25 vs Bayshore | 5 |
| 03/25/25 vs Manatee | 4 |
| 03/26/25 vs Riverview | 2 |
| 03/13/25 vs Venice | 2 |
| 03/06/25 @ Palmetto | 2 |
Bella Toscano made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). The dominant performance also gave her a new career-low in walks (zero). She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, two doubles, and one run. Those five RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Sarah Haynie and Shayla Butler did most of the damage at the plate: Haynie went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple, while Butler went 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Those three RBI gave Haynie a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Hana Pierce, who scored three runs while going 2-for-3.
Lakewood Ranch hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most four strikeouts in eight consecutive games.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Lake Placid). They were the clear victors by a 26-0 margin over Clewiston on Monday. The Dragons haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Emily Tharp was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring four runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Natalie Velozo was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. Hadlee Prescott was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, four RBI, and one stolen base.
Lakewood Ranch pushed their record up to 7-7 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.0 runs over those games. As for Lake Placid, the victory got them back to even at 8-8.
Tuesday's match might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Lakewood Ranch has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .432. However, it's not like Lake Placid struggles in that department as they've averaged .482. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lakewood Ranch was able to grind out a solid win over Lake Placid in their previous matchup back in March, winning 7-4. Will Lakewood Ranch repeat their success, or does Lake Placid has a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
