Lakeland extended their losing streak to three on Wednesday, dropping their season record down to 6-11 in the process. They took an 8-5 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Westlake Wildcats. Unfortunately, that's the second time they've come up short against the Wildcats this season, as they also lost their prior matchup 13-0 on Saturday.
Lou Vernagallo was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Another player making a difference was John Sibiski, who went 2-for-4 with one home run.
As for Westlake, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 5-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games.
On Westlake's side, Mikey Sica made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and one unearned) runs off nine hits (and only one walk). Sica has been consistent: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with three RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Westlake got a big performance out of Marcus Jackette, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that Jackette has hit this season. Kieran Murray was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Both teams will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Lakeland will square off against Yorktown at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. As for Westlake, they will challenge Hendrick Hudson at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
