Tavares hasn't had much luck against Lake Minneola recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Tavares Bulldogs will take on the Lake Minneola Hawks at 7:00 p.m. Tavares is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.4 runs per game this season.
Tavares barely beat Leesburg the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Tavares' pitcher stepped up to hand Leesburg a 15-0 shutout on Wednesday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Bulldogs considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Kyle Dunn
| 02/13/25 vs South Lake | 5 |
| 02/25/25 vs Lake Minneola | 4 |
| 03/05/25 @ Leesburg | 1 |
Kyle Dunn made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Tavares is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 2-5 otherwise. Dunn was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other batting news, Calvin Hinckley was a standout: he scored two runs and stole Three bases. while going 2-for-2. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in stolen bases. Kishun Ramjeet also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Tavares hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in four consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, it was a Battle of the Birds when Lake Minneola faced off against South Lake on Tuesday. Lake Minneola walked away with an 11-6 win over South Lake. The Hawks haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their sixth consecutive victory against them.
Jacob Cali looked comfortable as he struck out eight batters over four innings while giving up three earned runs off only one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Fabian Antosanti, who scored three runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-3. Tyler Pierre was another key player, scoring two runs while going 3-for-5.
Tavares' record now sits at 4-6. As for Lake Minneola, they now have a winning record of 4-3.
Lake Minneola's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Tavares hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. It's a different story for Lake Minneola, though, as they've only averaged .257. Will they be able to contain Tavares' hitters?
Tavares suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Lake Minneola in their previous matchup last Tuesday. Can Tavares avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
