The East Lake Eagles are on the road again on Friday to play the River Ridge Royal Knights at 7:00 p.m. East Lake is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.7 runs per game this season.
East Lake put their dominant pitchers on display in the team's third consecutive shutout on Thursday. They blew past Nature Coast Tech 10-0. East Lake's victory was all the more impressive since Nature Coast Tech was averaging only 2.77 runs allowed on the season.
Brady Wright looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched.
On the hitting side, Eli Millian was incredible, scoring three runs while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was Jayden Harriel, who went 1-for-3 with a home run.
Meanwhile, River Ridge entered their tilt with Land O' Lakes with two consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with three. They walked away with a 5-1 win over the Gators on Thursday. That's two games straight that River Ridge has won by exactly four runs.
Carson Cooley spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up six Ks.
At the plate, Anthony Gualemi was excellent, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
East Lake pushed their record up to 12-1 with that victory, which was their fourth straight on the road. Those victories were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs per game. As for River Ridge, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. East Lake has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like River Ridge struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
East Lake skirted past River Ridge 1-0 when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Does East Lake have another victory up their sleeve, or will River Ridge turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
