The Lake Placid Dragons will venture away from home to square off against the Inspiration Academy Lions at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Lake Placid is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.
On Thursday, Lake Placid got the win against Frostproof by a conclusive 12-6. The victory continues a trend for the Dragons in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won three in a row.
Emily Tharp was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Jillian Garduno and Hadlee Prescott did most of the damage at the plate: Garduno scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Prescott went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that Prescott hit this season. Another player making a difference was Paige Person, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Inspiration Academy came tearing into Thursday's contest with 13 straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 6.2 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came out on top against the Warriors by a score of 7-2.
Elle Hildreth spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up ten Ks.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Jade Carnahan, who fired off two home runs, three runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-3. Those two home runs gave her a new career-high. Amelia Mejias was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Inspiration Academy's win was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 20-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Lake Placid, the win got them back to even at 10-10.
Both Lake Placid and Inspiration Academy just can't seem to miss. The Dragons have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Inspiration Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.7 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lake Placid suffered a grim 18-8 defeat to Inspiration Academy in their previous meeting back in February. Can the Dragons avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
