Softball Game Preview: Land O' Lakes Gators vs. Citrus Hurricanes

The Land O' Lakes Gators will take on the Citrus Hurricanes at 1:00 p.m. on Friday. Land O' Lakes will be strutting in after a win while Citrus will be coming in after a loss.

Land O' Lakes' pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They were the clear victors by a 6-0 margin over Zephyrhills. Considering the Gators have won four games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.

The team relied heavily on Jazlynne Whittington, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March of 2024. Jaila Mitchell was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.

Meanwhile, Citrus didn't have quite enough to beat Tavares on Thursday and fell 7-6.

Paisley Williamson was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing seven innings while giving up three earned (and four unearned) runs off five hits. Williamson was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.

In other batting news, Makaila Anderson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Makayla Hetman, who went 1-for-4 with three stolen bases.

Even though they lost, Citrus kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in five consecutive contests.

Citrus' defeat was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 6-5. As for Land O' Lakes, the victory snapped their losing streak at three games and leaves them with a 6-7 record.