Tavares is 2-8 against South Lake since February of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Bulldogs will venture away from home to challenge the Eagles at 6:30 p.m. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Tavares beat First Academy 10-6. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs.
Kyle Dunn made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched 5.2 innings while giving up just one earned (and five unearned) runs off five hits. Tavares is 3-1 when Dunn allows two or fewer earned runs, but 3-11 otherwise. Dunn was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-4. What's more, he posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in February.
Calvin Hinckley
| 04/08/25 vs First Academy | 2 |
| 03/05/25 @ Leesburg | 2 |
| 02/20/25 @ Seven Rivers Christian | 2 |
| 02/27/25 vs Seven Rivers Christian | 1 |
| 02/25/25 vs Lake Minneola | 1 |
| + 3 more games |
In other batting news, Calvin Hinckley and Jamarcus Pugh did most of the damage at the plate: Hinckley scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Pugh scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2. Hinckley is becoming a predictor of Tavares' success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 3-12 when he doesn't). Jordan Poppell also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Tavares always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .528. They are a perfect 4-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, South Lake earned a 7-3 win over Dr. Phillips on Tuesday.
Like Tavares, South Lake also got a great game from a two-way player: Z Siokis. He pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Siokis was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on D Pina, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 4-for-5. Another player making a difference was J Brown, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Tavares' record is now 6-12. As for South Lake, the victory got them back to even at 11-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Tavares has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like South Lake struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Tavares couldn't quite finish off South Lake in their previous meeting back in February and fell 13-11. Can the Bulldogs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
