Baseball Game Preview: Avon Park Red Devils vs. Lake Placid Dragons

The Avon Park Red Devils will take on the Lake Placid Dragons at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Avon Park has three straight wins, Lake Placid has six straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

Last Tuesday, Avon Park made easy work of LaBelle and carried off a 9-1 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest win the Red Devils have posted against the Cowboys/Cowgirls since February 18, 2020.

Eric Harrison was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Harrison was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cam Engler, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Jace King, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.

Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Lake Placid's offense. They came up short against Sebring on Tuesday, falling 10-0. The match marked the first time this year in which the Dragons were not able to get on the board.

Avon Park pushed their record up to 3-0 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.4 runs over those games. As for Lake Placid, their defeat dropped their record down to 0-5.

Avon Park beat Lake Placid 8-3 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. Will Avon Park repeat their success, or does Lake Placid have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.