Softball Preview: Lake Wales Highlanders vs. Hardee Wildcats
Lake Wales is 9-1 against Hardee since March of 2018, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Lake Wales Highlanders will be playing at home against the Hardee Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. The pair are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Lake Wales will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Tuesday, then bounced right back against McKeel Academy on Thursday. Everything went Lake Wales' way against McKeel Academy as Lake Wales made off with a 10-1 victory.
Anna Conroy tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 4.2 innings pitched.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Keira Davis, who went 4-for-4 with a home run, two triples, and five RBI. Elise Allen was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Hardee entered their tilt with Port Charlotte with 12 consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with 13. They blew past the Pirates 10-4. Considering Hardee has won seven matches by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Alexandra Herrera spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on 11 hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Makayla DeLeon was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing five bases while going 3-for-5. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now stolen at least one in the last three games she's played. Another player making a difference was Mikayla Silva, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
The win got Lake Wales back to even at 11-11. As for Hardee, their victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-2.
Everything went Lake Wales' way against Hardee in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 as Lake Wales made off with an 8-1 win. Does Lake Wales have another victory up their sleeve, or will Hardee turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
