Softball Game Preview: The Villages Charter Buffalo vs. Lake Minneola Hawks

The Villages Charter Buffalo will face off against the Lake Minneola Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The Villages Charter's pitching crew has only allowed 2.5 runs per game this season, so Lake Minneola's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

On Tuesday, The Villages Charter didn't have quite enough to beat South Sumter and fell 3-2. The Buffalo haven't had much luck with the Raiders recently, as the team has come up short the last three times they've met.

Layla Farrish was cooking despite her team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season.

Meanwhile, Lake Minneola hadn't done well against South Lake recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. Lake Minneola sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 7-5 win over South Lake.

Giselle Mccormick was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and one double. Emma Quevedo was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.

The Villages Charter's loss dropped their record down to 5-5. As for Lake Minneola, their victory bumped their record up to 5-3.

Lake Minneola's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. The Villages Charter has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Lake Minneola, though, as they've been averaging only 3.9 strikeouts. Will The Villages Charter keep running through batters, or will Lake Minneola buck the trend?

The Villages Charter couldn't quite finish off Lake Minneola when the teams last played back in March of 2023 and fell 11-9. Can The Villages Charter avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.