The Lake Gibson Braves are taking a road trip to take on the Fort Meade Miners at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, the two teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Lake Gibson took a loss when they played away from home last Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Discovery an 18-0 shutout. That 18 run margin sets a new team best for the Braves this season.
Andrea Lewis made a splash no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Those zero hits allowed gave her a new career-low. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing Two bases. while going 1-for-2. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in stolen bases.
In other batting news, Kylie Vazquez was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and two runs. The team also got some help courtesy of Lily Harwell, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Lake Gibson always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .778. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Fort Meade had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.4 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Monday. Everything went their way against the Vikings as they made off with an 11-1 victory. That's two games straight that the Miners have won by exactly ten runs.
Ariel Ramirez tossed a big game, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out nine over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Makayla Deleon and Kenya Faulk did most of the damage at the plate: Deleon scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Faulk went 2-for-3 with one home run and three RBI. Deleon is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: she's snagged at least one every time she's taken the field this season. Ryleigh Grace was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Fort Meade pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Lake Gibson, the victory got them back to even at 3-3.
Tuesday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Lake Gibson has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .454. However, it's not like Fort Meade struggles in that department as they've averaged .498. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lake Gibson might still be hurting after the 9-3 loss they got from Fort Meade when the teams last played back in February. Can Lake Gibson avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
