Softball Game Preview: Lake Minneola Hawks vs. Tavares Bulldogs

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Previous 4 Games

04/04/24 - Home	15-10 W
02/22/24 - Away	5-2 W
02/25/16 - Home	16-0 W
02/03/15 - Home	15-0 W

Lake Minneola has gone a perfect 4-0 against Tavares recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Hawks will challenge the Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

Lake Minneola is headed into the match having just suffered their closest loss since March 6th on Tuesday. They fell just short of Foundation Academy by a score of 5-3.

Kaydence Schutte spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned (and one unearned) runs on six hits.

On the hitting side, Giselle Mccormick made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Amaliz Martinez, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Meanwhile, Tavares was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 2-1 heartbreaker at the hands of South Lake.

Emersyn Lee was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits. Lee was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with one double.

Lee wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Blakely Kite, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one double. Nina Earl also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Lake Minneola has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-9 record this season. As for Tavares, they now have a losing record of 6-7.

Lake Minneola was able to grind out a solid win over Tavares in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, winning 15-10. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.