The Eustis Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Lake Howell Silverhawks at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Eustis is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.1 runs per game this season.
Eustis barely beat South Sumter the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Panthers never let the Raiders get on the board and left with a 9-0 win on Tuesday. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Raiders: they've now won nine in a row.
The result came thanks to Carson Roden's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up nine Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Adrianna Covino, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one triple. Brooklynn Mason was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with three RBI and one double.
Eustis hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as South Sumter struck out nine times.
Meanwhile, Lake Howell came up short against Cornerstone Charter Academy on Tuesday, falling 13-5.
Lake Howell saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Skaii Rodriguez, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one stolen base. Another was Jordan Hodosko, who went 1-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
Eustis' win bumped their record up to 11-6. As for Lake Howell, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last eight matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-11 record this season.
Lake Howell's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Eustis has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Lake Howell, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 strikeouts. Will Eustis keep running through batters, or will the Silverhawks buck the trend?
Eustis might still be hurting after the 16-0 loss they got from Lake Howell when the teams last played back in March of 2025. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
