The Leon Lions will venture away from home to take on the Florida State University High School Seminoles at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Leon is currently enjoying a perfect season and no doubt wants to keep things rolling.
While Leon didn't have the best season last year (they finished 11-15), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. Everything went their way against North Florida Christian on Tuesday as Leon made off with a 12-5 win. Considering the Lions have won four contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Hayden McNeill was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only a hit over four innings pitched. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Evans Franco was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Kolbe Baker was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Florida State University High School didn't have quite enough to beat Franklin County on Tuesday and fell 3-2. The Seminoles have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Florida State University High School also got a good showing from Brayden Wood, who tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Wood has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks any time he's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Brayden Smith made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole three bases while going 3-for-4. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 1.1 stolen bases per game.
Leon pushed their record up to 6-0 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. As for Florida State University High School, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Leon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Florida State University High School struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.6 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Leon took their win against Florida State University High School in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 9-3. Will Leon repeat their success, or does Florida State University High School have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
