The Lake Wales Highlanders will challenge the IMG Academy Royal Ascenders at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Lake Wales had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Lake Region on Friday. Lake Wales put the hurt on Lake Region with a sharp 12-5 victory. The win continues a trend for the Highlanders in their matchups with the Thunder: they've now won four in a row.
Melvin Bynes looked comfortable as he pitched 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Carter Franks and Carter Finnell did most of the damage at the plate: Franks went 3-for-4 with one double and one RBI, while Finnell scored a run while going 1-for-3. What's more, Finnell posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February. Levi Cutts was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, IMG Academy Royal had already won four in a row and they went ahead and made it five on Friday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 3-2 W against the Wildcats. That's two games straight that the Ascenders have won by just one run.
Griffin Boesen tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and not a single walk).
At the plate, IMG Academy Royal's victory was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Kanta Miyabe, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Jacques Gawlik also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
IMG Academy Royal's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-2. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 1.2 runs across that stretch. As for Lake Wales, their victory bumped their record up to 7-4.
Lake Wales was able to grind out a solid win over IMG Academy Royal in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, winning 7-2. Does Lake Wales have another victory up their sleeve, or will IMG Academy Royal turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
