The Haywood Tomcats will take on the Lakeland Preparatory Lions at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
Haywood's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past Bolton 12-0. The win continues a trend for the Tomcats in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won five in a row.
Cordarion Jelks
| 03/21/25 @ Obion County | 7 |
| 04/08/25 @ Lake County | 3 |
| 04/11/25 @ Jackson North Side | 1 |
Cordarion Jelks and Owen Stanley made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Jelks tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Stanley pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Jelks also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Haywood is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-14 otherwise. At the plate, Jelks scored a run while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances, while Stanley scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. What's more, Stanley posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, Kevion Woodland was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing three bases. He is becoming a predictor of Haywood's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 4-14 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Derrick Brown, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Haywood always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .586. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Bolton only posted an OBP of .316.
Meanwhile, Lakeland Preparatory had already won seven in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 11.4 runs) and they went ahead and made it eight on Tuesday. They put the hurt on the Red Devils with a sharp 16-1 victory. That's two games straight that the Lions have won by exactly 15 runs.
Lakeland Preparatory got a massive performance out of Peeler Easton, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Wyatt Helton, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
Lakeland Preparatory's win was their 11th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-2. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Haywood, their win bumped their record up to 6-15.
Thursday's matchup might come down to which pitcher can control the ball better. Haywood has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .439. However, it's not like Lakeland Preparatory struggles in that department as they've averaged .510. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
