The Fort Zumwalt East Lions will venture away from home to take on the Winfield Warriors at 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday. Fort Zumwalt East is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
While Fort Zumwalt East's win against St. Charles West wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Lions narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Warriors 5-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Lions have posted since April 25, 2024.
Dominic Pandolfo was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing four innings while giving up three earned runs off three hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with two RBI.
Carter Hollingsworth
| 04/01/25 vs St. Charles West | 4 |
| 03/27/25 @ South Callaway | 3 |
| 03/22/25 vs Ladue Horton Watkins | 2 |
| 05/13/24 vs Howell Central | 3 |
| 05/07/24 vs Howell North | 2 |
| 04/30/24 @ Fort Zumwalt South | 5 |
In other pitching news, Carter Hollingsworth looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Carson Topping, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Travis Hill was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Winfield, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They came out on top against Clopton by a score of 4-1 on Monday. The Warriors haven't had any issues with the Hawks recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Winfield saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Maison Pruitt, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI. Brady Cappel also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Fort Zumwalt East's record is now 7-4. As for Winfield, their record now sits at 2-3.
Winfield's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Fort Zumwalt East hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .316. It's a different story for Winfield, though, as they've only averaged .235. Will they be able to contain Fort Zumwalt East's hitters?
Fort Zumwalt East came up short against Winfield in their previous meeting back in April of 2017, falling 5-2. Can the Lions avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
