The Hialeah-Miami Lakes Trojans will head out to challenge the South Dade Buccaneers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Hialeah-Miami Lakes made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Goleman, but they still couldn't quite topple them. Hialeah-Miami Lakes was the clear victors by a 16-6 margin over Goleman on Wednesday. 16 seems to be a good number for the Trojans as the team scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Marya Hicks made a splash while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits. Hicks was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while getting on base in four of her seven plate appearances.
In other batting news, Cyeanna Delva was incredible, scoring four runs while getting on base in five of her nine plate appearances. Ashnelle Arias was another key player, scoring a run while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, South Dade waltzed into their matchup on Thursday with two straight wins... but they left with three. Everything went their way against TERRA Environmental as they made off with a 16-1 victory.
Like Hialeah-Miami Lakes, South Dade also got a great game from a two-way player: A. Guedes. She didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Guedes has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one walk in seven consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on B. Cuellar, who scored four runs and stole Three bases. while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance gave her a new career-high in runs. The team also got some help courtesy of K. Pena, who scored a run while going 3-for-3.
South Dade always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .581. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .514 or higher in four consecutive contests.
Hialeah-Miami Lakes pushed their record up to 7-1 with the win, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.7 runs on average over those games. As for South Dade, their record now sits at 6-7.
Friday's game might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Hialeah-Miami Lakes has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .517. However, it's not like South Dade struggles in that department as they've averaged .573. 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.
