The Cypress Lake Panthers will venture away from home to challenge the Charlotte Fightin' Tarpons at 6:00 p.m. on Monday.
Cypress Lake came into their game on Friday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They lost 9-3 to Island Coast. The loss continues a trend for the Panthers in their meetings with the Gators: they've now lost eight in a row.
Cypress Lake saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Evan Skaggs, who scored a run while going 1-for-4.
Meanwhile, while Charlotte put up some runs on Friday, the same can't be said for Lakewood Ranch. Charlotte was the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Lakewood Ranch. The result was nothing new for the Fightin' Tarpons, who have now won five matchups by eight runs or more so far this season.
Bradyn Williams tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Luke Wadsworth was a standout: he scored two runs while going 3-for-3. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February. The team also got some help courtesy of Evan Ellsworth, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Charlotte was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .462. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Charlotte is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-6 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.8 runs over those games. Cypress Lake's defeat dropped their record down to 4-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cypress Lake has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Charlotte struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cypress Lake suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to Charlotte in their previous matchup back in February. Can Cypress Lake avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
