Lakeland is 1-9 against East Noble since May of 2021 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Lakers will host the Knights at 10:00 a.m. Lakeland is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Thursday as neither Lakeland nor Fremont made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Lakers came out on top in a nail-biter against the Eagles, sneaking past 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Lakers have posted against the Eagles since May 10, 2018.
Carson Mickem
| 05/15/25 vs Fremont | 15 |
| 05/06/25 vs West Noble | 10 |
| 04/29/25 vs Westview | 5 |
Carson Mickem spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up 15 Ks. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Lakeland saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cole Riehl, who went 2-for-3 with one run. That's the most hits Riehl has posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask East Noble). Their pitcher stepped up to hand New Haven a 17-0 shutout on Thursday. Winning may never get old, but the Knights sure are getting used to it with their fifth in a row.
Jackson Leedy made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. Leedy was also stellar in the batter's box, firing off two home runs and four RBI while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Ian Ramey was incredible, firing off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-4. Rylan Hathaway was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
East Noble was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .567. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .304 or higher in five consecutive matches.
East Noble pushed their record up to 12-6 with the win, which was their third straight on the road. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Lakeland, they are on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-4 record this season.
Saturday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Lakeland has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .495. However, it's not like East Noble struggles in that department as they've averaged .453. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lakeland came up short against East Noble in their previous meeting on Saturday, falling 9-5. Can the Lakers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
