Baseball Recap: Lakewood Ranch Comes Up Short

Lakewood Ranch came into this matchup off a tough six-run loss last Friday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of the Palmetto Tigers by a score of 4-2 on Tuesday. The Mustangs' defeat continues a trend for the squad, making it five in a row.

Chase Skarbek

Base on Balls Against

04/01/25 vs Palmetto	2
03/25/25 @ Parrish Community	0
03/20/25 vs Sarasota	1

Chase Skarbek spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on eight hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Carter Sprague was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played.

Lakewood Ranch's loss dropped their record down to 5-14. As for Palmetto, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-16.

Lakewood Ranch and Palmetto could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Florida Rankings. The Mustangs will challenge Braden River at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday with a big rank disadvantage (371 vs. 134). Meanwhile, Palmetto (ranked 399th) will meet Manatee (ranked 169th) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday.