The Winter Park Wildcats are taking a road trip to challenge the Lake Brantley Patriots at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Winter Park will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Winter Park barely beat Apopka the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Wildcats put the hurt on the Blue Darters with a sharp 10-0 win on Friday. Winter Park's victory was all the more impressive since the Blue Darters were averaging only 3.37 runs allowed on the season.
Chase Carney tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Winter Park's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Mac Madsen, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with three RBI. Those three RBI gave Madsen a new career-high. Another was Carter Smith, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in both of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Lake Brantley has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.14 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Friday. They came up short against Hagerty, falling 10-3. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Patriots have suffered since February 15th.
Lake Brantley also got a good showing from Finn Yates, who struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and only one walk). That's the fewest earned runs Yates has allowed since back in February.
On the hitting side, Maurice Brown made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two RBI. Bryce Mauger was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Winter Park pushed their record up to 18-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight at home. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.0 runs over those games. As for Lake Brantley, their loss dropped their record down to 14-6-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Winter Park has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lake Brantley struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Winter Park took their victory against Lake Brantley in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 17-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
