Lakeland won the last time they faced Bethany Christian, and things went their way on Friday too. The Lakeland Lakers narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past the Bethany Christian Bruins 8-6.
Levi Cook made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing two innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off one hit. Cook has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in five consecutive pitching appearances. Cook was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with a stolen base, two RBI, and a double.
In other batting news, Garrett Pieri was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Like Lakeland, Bethany Christian also got a great game from a two-way player: Jayden Schlabach. On the mound, he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Schlabach was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases.
Schlabach wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Josiah Yoder, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. Carter Miller was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances.
Lakeland is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six games, which provided a nice bump to their 18-8 record this season. As for Bethany Christian, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-13 record this season.
Lakeland will look to defend their home field on Saturday against Wawasee at 10:00 a.m. Wawasee will be hoping to continue their four-game streak of scoring more runs each contest than the last. As for Bethany Christian, they will play host again on Saturday to welcome Hamilton, where first pitch is scheduled at 10:00 a.m. Hamilton is coming into the matchup with five straight defeats on the road, meaning Bethany Christian will have to defend against a team hungry for a victory.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
