Softball Preview: Montverde Academy Eagles vs. Mount Dora Hurricanes
Montverde Academy has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Mount Dora Hurricanes at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Montverde Academy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Montverde Academy is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Florida's top teams: Eustis, who was ranked 13th in their home state at the time (Montverde Academy was ranked seventh). Montverde Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Eustis last Friday and snuck past 7-6. That's two games straight that Montverde Academy has won by just one run.
Nevaeh Williams tossed a big game, tossing 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off six hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Luna Taboas was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. Leila Susaia was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, it can be hard to translate regular season success to the playoffs, but Mount Dora had no problem doing just that on Monday. Everything went their way against the Highlanders as they made off with a 9-2 win. Considering Mount Dora has won nine contests by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Addison Ganus and Kaleigh Casey made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Ganus struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Meanwhile, Casey pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. At bat, Ganus went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Casey scored a run while going 2-for-4.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Carly Durden, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Takiyah White, who scored three runs while going 1-for-1.
Montverde Academy's victory was their 21st straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 21-4. As for Mount Dora, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 12-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Montverde Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Mount Dora struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Montverde Academy's way against Mount Dora when the teams last played back in May of 2023 as Montverde Academy made off with a 14-0 victory. Does Montverde Academy have another victory up their sleeve, or will Mount Dora turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
