The McKeel Academy Wildcats will face off against the Lakeland Christian Vikings at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as McKeel Academy comes in on eight and Lakeland Christian on three.
McKeel Academy's usually-dominant pitching crew will be looking to make up for Wednesday's struggle, when Mulberry hitters got past them. The Wildcats came out on top against the Panthers by a score of 15-10 on Wednesday. With that win, the Wildcats brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Jorge Cordova
| 04/09/25 vs Mulberry | 4 |
| 04/01/25 @ Lake Placid | 3 |
| 05/11/24 vs Hardee | 3 |
| 03/12/25 vs Four Corners | 2 |
| 03/07/24 @ Lake Gibson | 2 |
Jorge Cordova was a standout: he went 2-for-5 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those four RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Aedan Tompkins, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-5.
Cordova wasn't the only one making solid contact: McKeel Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Lakeland Christian's hitters rose to the challenge against a Miners pitching crew that boasted an average of only four runs allowed on Tuesday. The Vikings were the clear victors by a 13-3 margin over Fort Meade. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten matchups by seven runs or more this season.
The team relied heavily on Parker Kant, who scored three runs while going 3-for-3. He continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Gavin Byrd, who scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Lakeland Christian's victory bumped their record up to 17-6. As for McKeel Academy, their win bumped their record up to 16-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. McKeel Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lakeland Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
McKeel Academy came out on top in a nail-biter against Lakeland Christian in their previous meeting on Thursday, sneaking past 6-5. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
