The Taylor Wildcats are taking a road trip to square off against the Spruce Creek Hawks at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Taylor knows how to get runs on the board -- the team has finished with ten runs or more in their past three contests -- so hopefully Spruce Creek likes a good challenge.
On Tuesday, Taylor was able to grind out a solid win over Umatilla, taking the game 10-6.
Cheyenne Hough spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and two unearned) runs on 11 hits and racked up six Ks.
Lacey Price
| 03/25/25 vs Umatilla | 3 |
| 03/13/25 @ Interlachen | 2 |
| 03/06/25 @ Umatilla | 2 |
| 02/20/25 @ Seabreeze | 2 |
| 04/13/24 @ University | 2 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Lacey Price, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (three). Taylor Lane was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Spruce Creek). Their pitchers stepped up to hand New Smyrna Beach a 14-0 shutout on Tuesday. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded the Hawks with their most commanding win of the season.
Reese Cianciarulo made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Alexis Minaberry was a standout: she got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, four RBI, and one stolen base. Meagan Cowoski also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
Spruce Creek always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .618. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their OBP total in three consecutive matchups.
Spruce Creek pushed their record up to 6-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road dating back to last season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Taylor, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-4 record this season.
Thursday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Taylor hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .426. However, it's not like Spruce Creek struggles in that department as they've averaged .320. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Taylor suffered a grim 16-0 defeat to Spruce Creek in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. Can Taylor avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
