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| 03/25/24 - Home | 18-8 W |
| 03/29/21 - Away | 14-2 W |
| 05/23/16 - Away | 16-7 W |
Lakeland has gone a perfect 3-0 against Elkhart Christian Academy recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Lakers are taking a road trip to take on the Eagles at 10:00 a.m. Lakeland will be looking to extend their current seven-game winning streak.
Lakeland barely beat Garrett the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Lakers were the clear victors by a 17-2 margin over the Railroaders on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Lakers, who have now won 11 contests by eight runs or more so far this season.
Garrett Pieri was a major factor no matter where he played. He tossed five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 11 consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Keyan Arroyo, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base. That's the most runs he has posted over his last 11 matchups. Another player making a difference was Brayden Holbrook, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Fans were treated to a battle of the Eagles on Friday. Elkhart Christian Academy sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 9-7 win over South Shore Homeschool Athletics.
Like Lakeland, Elkhart Christian Academy also got a great game from a two-way player: Hayden Castro. On the mound, he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Castro was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and three runs. Elkhart Christian Academy is undefeated when Castro posts two or more stolen bases, but 0-16 otherwise.
In other batting news, Liam Elkins was a standout: he got on base in two of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. He is becoming a predictor of Elkhart Christian Academy's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 2-1 (and 4-15 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Gray Reynolds, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one run.
Elkhart Christian Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .433. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .387 or higher in three consecutive games.
Lakeland's victory was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.2 runs over those games. As for Elkhart Christian Academy, their record is now 6-16.
Elkhart Christian Academy's pitching crew better be locked in on Saturday. Lakeland hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. It's a different story for Elkhart Christian Academy, though, as they've been averaging only 0 home runs. Will they be able to keep Lakeland in the park?
Everything went Lakeland's way against Elkhart Christian Academy when the teams last played back in March of 2024, as Lakeland made off with an 18-8 victory. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lakers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
