Avon Park has gone 9-1 against DeSoto County recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Thursday. The Avon Park Red Devils will welcome the DeSoto County Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Avon Park has six straight wins, DeSoto County has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Avon Park took a 11-run defeat the last time they faced off against Lake Placid, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. Avon Park had just enough and edged out Lake Placid 3-1. The three-run effort marked the Red Devils' lowest-scoring contest of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Eric Harrison
| 02/25/25 @ Lake Placid | 9 |
| 02/18/25 vs LaBelle | 7 |
| 02/13/25 @ Hardee | 11 |
Eric Harrison made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off six hits (and not a single walk). He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4. He also stole a stolen base, marking his first of the season.
Harrison wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Maddox Pollitt, who went 3-for-4 with one double. Jace King also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, DeSoto County didn't have quite enough to beat Manatee on Tuesday and fell 7-5. That's two games in a row now that the Bulldogs have lost by exactly two runs.
Daylon White made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Avon Park pushed their record up to 6-0 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. As for DeSoto County, their loss dropped their record down to 3-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Avon Park has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like DeSoto County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Avon Park's way against DeSoto County in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, as Avon Park made off with a 6-0 win. Does Avon Park have another victory up their sleeve, or will DeSoto County turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
