The Lakewood Ranch Mustangs are taking a road trip to square off against the Bishop Verot Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lakewood Ranch had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 18-run drubbing they dealt Braden River on Tuesday. The Mustangs' pitcher stepped up to hand the Pirates an 18-0 shutout.
Bella Toscano was a major factor no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, tossing three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with four RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Maddison Anderson was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-2. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Payton Burdick was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-1.
Lakewood Ranch was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .471. They are 6-1 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Riverview Sarasota typically has all the answers at home, but on Tuesday Bishop Verot proved too difficult a challenge. They put the hurt on the Rams with a sharp 12-1 victory. Bishop Verot's win was all the more impressive since the Rams were averaging only 1.68 runs allowed on the season.
Bishop Verot let Jaelyn Riley and McKenna Robbins run wild. Riley scored two runs while going 2-for-4, while Robbins scored three runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Ashley Blexrud, who scored a run while going 1-for-2.
Lakewood Ranch has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won nine of their last ten matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Bishop Verot, their record is now 13-6.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lakewood Ranch hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .338. However, it's not like Bishop Verot struggles in that department as they've averaged .329. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
