The Land O' Lakes Gators are on the road again on Tuesday to play the Tampa Catholic Crusaders at 6:00 p.m. Land O' Lakes is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.5 runs per game this season.
Last Friday, Land O' Lakes narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past Osceola 4-2. Four seems to be a good number for Land O' Lakes as the squad scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Taliah Murria looked comfortable as she tossed 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (she also didn't allow any walks).
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Makenna Bellaire, who went 1-for-4 with a home run and three RBI. Another player making a difference was Kiersten Stevens, who scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Tampa Catholic came tearing into Wednesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7 runs) and they left with even more momentum. They walked away with an 11-8 victory over the Wildcats. 11 seems to be a good number for Tampa Catholic as the team scooped up a win with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Olivia Ricciardi spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and seven unearned) runs on ten hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Josslynn Grimsley, who fired off three home runs, four runs, and four RBI while going 3-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooke O'Gradney, who went 2-for-3 with a home run and three runs.
Land O' Lakes is on a roll lately: they've won 12 of their last 13 games, which provided a massive bump to their 15-6 record this season. As for Tampa Catholic, their record now sits at 8-5.
Land O' Lakes' speedy runners might be the difference in Tuesday's match. Land O' Lakes has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Tampa Catholic, though, as they've been averaging only 0.9. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Land O' Lakes continue to outrun the ball?
Land O' Lakes beat Tampa Catholic 4-0 in their previous meeting back in March of 2023. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Tampa Catholic's Angelina Ricciardi, who struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Now that she won't be playing on Tuesday, will it be that much easier for Land O' Lakes to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
