Lakewood Ranch and Riverview Sarasota are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Lakewood Ranch Mustangs will head out on the road to take on the Riverview Sarasota Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Lakewood Ranch unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of Parrish Community by a score of 4-3.
Alex Vailliancourt was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched six innings while giving up three earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (he also only allowed one walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't pitched less than five innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Jack Muller was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with a home run, two runs, and a double. Another player making a difference was Andrew Schroeder, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double.
Meanwhile, Riverview Sarasota was not able to break out of their rough patch on Tuesday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They fell just short of Timber Creek by a score of 4-3.
Caiden Cabral and JR Hudson did some serious damage despite the final result: Cabral went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and an RBI, while Hudson scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Wyatt Wosniak was another key contributor, scoring a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Lakewood Ranch has fallen quite a ways from their 19-8 record last season and are now at 3-5-1. As for Riverview Sarasota, their loss dropped their record down to 2-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lakewood Ranch has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Riverview Sarasota struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.1 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lakewood Ranch took their win against Riverview Sarasota in their previous matchup back in April of 2023 by a conclusive 15-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lakewood Ranch since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
