Yellow Jackets
| 03/19/25 @ Umatilla | 1 |
| 03/07/25 @ Cedar Key | 17 |
| 03/06/25 @ Celebration | 18 |
| 03/04/25 @ Lake Buena Vista | 15 |
| 03/03/25 @ Pine Ridge | 17 |
| + 5 more games |
Leesburg is 1-9 against Tavares since March of 2017 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Leesburg Yellow Jackets will challenge the Tavares Bulldogs at 6:00 p.m. Leesburg is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 15 runs per game this season.
Leesburg is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 17 runs two weeks ago, they were much more limited against Umatilla on Wednesday. They fell 6-1 to the Bulldogs.
Hailey Toothaker made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Tavares hadn't done well against Citrus recently (they were 1-7 in their previous eight matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. Tavares skirted past Citrus 7-6. While the Bulldogs didn't have the best season last year (they finished 5-14), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past.
Emersyn Lee was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up six earned runs off 11 hits (and not a single walk). She has been consistent : she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Tavares let Jasmine Lawrence and Nina Earl run wild. Lawrence scored two runs and stole Two bases. while going 2-for-4, while Earl scored two runs while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. That's the most stolen bases Lawrence has posted since back in April of 2024. Aliyah Cantu-Lopez also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
The victory (which was Tavares' fourth in a row) raised their record to 5-1. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Leesburg, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-2.
Tavares' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Leesburg hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .378. It's a different story for Tavares, though, as they've only averaged .241. Will they be able to contain Leesburg's hitters?
Leesburg might still be hurting after the 16-0 loss they got from Tavares when the teams last played back in April of 2022. Can Leesburg avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
