The Lakeland Lakers will take on the Prairie Heights Panthers at 12:00 p.m. on Monday. Lakeland is coming into the match on a three-game losing streak.
DeKalb hit Lakeland with a five-run first inning on Friday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Lakers lost 9-3 to the Barons.
Lakeland saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kylee Waldron, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Prairie Heights can bid farewell to their three-game losing streak thanks to their game on Saturday. They came out on top against Fort Wayne Bishop Luers by a score of 7-3.
Hayley Hardy made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits. Hardy was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI and two doubles. Those two doubles gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Addison Wells, who went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases and two runs. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in April. Olivia Boots also deserves some recognition as she launched her first home run of the season.
Prairie Heights was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .414. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Fort Wayne Bishop Luers only posted a batting average of .267.
Prairie Heights' record now sits at 7-17. As for Lakeland, their defeat dropped their record down to 6-18.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lakeland has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Prairie Heights struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Everything went Lakeland's way against Prairie Heights in their previous matchup back in April, as Lakeland made off with an 18-9 victory. Will the Lakers repeat their success, or do the Panthers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
