Softball Game Preview: Eustis Panthers vs. South Sumter Raiders

Eustis has gone 9-1 against South Sumter recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Panthers will look to defend their home field against the Raiders at 7:00 p.m. Eustis is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.2 runs per game this season.

South Sumter will be up against a hot Eustis team: the squad just extended their winning streak to three. The Panthers came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 6-5 W against Windermere. That's two games straight that the Panthers have won by just one run.

Carson Roden

Batters Struck Out

04/15/25 vs Windermere	10
04/14/25 vs South Lake	12
04/11/25 @ Umatilla	6

Carson Roden spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Brooklynn Mason and Emmy Luke did most of the damage at the plate: Mason went 1-for-3 with one home run, while Luke scored a run while going 2-for-2. Mason has been hot recently, having posted at least one home run the last three times she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Adrianna Covino, who scored two runs and stole a base.

Eustis hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in three consecutive contests.

Meanwhile, after a string of three wins, South Sumter's good fortune finally ran out on Tuesday. They fell just short of Buchholz by a score of 9-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Raiders have suffered since March 20th.

South Sumter's defeat dropped their record down to 13-7. As for Eustis, their victory bumped their record up to 14-4.

Eustis came out on top in a nail-biter against South Sumter when the teams last played back in March, sneaking past 8-6. Will the Panthers repeat their success, or do the Raiders have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.