Preview: Cypress Bay Lightning vs. Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs
Cypress Bay is 4-0 against Cardinal Gibbons since February of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Thursday. The Cypress Bay Lightning will head out on the road to take on the Cardinal Gibbons Chiefs at 4:00 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Cypress Bay has not done well against Stoneman Douglas recently (they were 1-6 in their previous seven matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Cypress Bay walked away with a 5-1 win over Stoneman Douglas. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Cypress Bay.
Ayden Ballard spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on seven hits and racked up six Ks. Those seven innings set a new season-high mark for her.
On the hitting side, Cypress Bay's victory was truly a team effort as three different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Elizabeth Gabante, who went 1-for-2 with two RBI and a double. Jessica Meek was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Cardinal Gibbons had already won six in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6 runs), and they went ahead and made it seven on Thursday. They put the hurt on the Knights with a sharp 7-0 win. Cardinal Gibbons' pitching crew has been rock solid lately; the team hasn't given up a run in their last five matches.
Lydia Berent made a big impact no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 12 over seven innings pitched. Berent has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts every time she's pitched this season. Berent was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Cardinal Gibbons let Morgan Beavers and Jess Chu loose on the outfield. Beavers went 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI, and a run, while Chu scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
The victory got Cypress Bay back to even at 4-4. As for Cardinal Gibbons, their win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cypress Bay has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cardinal Gibbons struggles in that department as they've been averaging 10.7 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cypress Bay took their victory against Cardinal Gibbons when the teams last played back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 7-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Cypress Bay since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
