Baseball Game Preview: Lakewood Ranch Mustangs vs. Parrish Community Bulls

The Lakewood Ranch Mustangs will square off against the Parrish Community Bulls at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The last three games Lakewood Ranch has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.

Last Wednesday, Lakewood Ranch didn't have quite enough to beat Braden River and fell 4-3. That's two games in a row now that the Mustangs have lost by just one run.

Kuwain Claxton was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring two runs while going 1-for-2. He also put up a double, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Luis Flores, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Parrish Community had already won three in a row and they went ahead and made it four on Thursday. They were the clear victors by a 14-4 margin over the Tigers. The result was nothing new for the Bulls, who have now won nine games by six runs or more so far this season.

Daniel Norbeck looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Tyler Cripe was a standout: he scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February. Ja'Brien Quiles was another key player, going 3-for-5 with five RBI, two doubles, and one run.

Parrish Community's win was their 14th straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 19-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.1 runs on average over those games. As for Lakewood Ranch, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last nine contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-17 record this season.

Lakewood Ranch suffered a grim 10-4 defeat to Parrish Community in their previous meeting two weeks ago. Can the Mustangs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.