The Lafayette Hornets will face off against the Fort White Indians at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Lafayette comes in on five and Fort White on seven.
On Monday, Lafayette needed a bit of extra time to put away Williston. They won by a run and slipped past the Red Devils 4-3.
Noah Lamb made a big impact no matter where he played. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April of 2024. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that he hit this season.
In other batting news, Harris Johnson was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Ethan Tuten also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Lafayette kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Williston only managed three hits.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Fort White). They blew past Ocala Christian 16-1 on Monday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Like Lafayette, Fort White also got a great game from a two-way player: Matthew Pitts. Throwing, Pitts pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Preston Ash struck out six batters over two innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and not a single walk). What's more, Pitts posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. At the plate, Pitts scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 1-for-3, while Ash scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Pitts has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Patrick Kennedy, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. He continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. Tyson Clyatt was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Lafayette pushed their record up to 5-1 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Fort White, their win bumped their record up to 7-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lafayette has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Fort White struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lafayette took their victory against Fort White in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 10-0. Will Lafayette repeat their success, or does Fort White have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
