The Lakeland Dreadnaughts will head out to face off against the Auburndale Bloodhounds at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Lakeland was handed a nine-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Thursday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over Lake Wales. The two-run effort marked the Dreadnaughts' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
LOGAN MCMICKLE
| 02/27/25 vs Lake Wales | 8 |
| 02/20/25 @ Mulberry | 5 |
| 02/13/25 @ McKeel Academy | 7 |
LOGAN MCMICKLE spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Lakeland's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was ELI MILLER, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Auburndale never got on the board in their matchup on Thursday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against Discovery on Friday. They put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 13-5 win. The result was nothing new for the Bloodhounds, who have now won four contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Colin Holmes was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. He has become a key player for Auburndale: the team is 3-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 1-5 otherwise. Holmes was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in stolen bases.
In other pitching news, Austin Mott looked comfortable as he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Hayden Sosa-Morris, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one double. That triple marked the first that he hit this season. Another player making a difference was Justin Monroe, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Auburndale was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .438. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Auburndale has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. Lakeland's record now sits at 3-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lakeland has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Auburndale struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Lakeland beat Auburndale 8-4 in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lakeland since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
