The Lake Placid Dragons will venture away from home to square off against the Okeechobee Brahmans at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday. Lake Placid is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.9 runs per game this season.
Last Thursday, Lake Placid made easy work of Frostproof and carried off a 12-6 victory. The win continues a trend for the Dragons in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won three in a row.
Emily Tharp made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 1.1 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. She was even better at the plate, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of her five plate appearances.
In other batting news, Jillian Garduno and Hadlee Prescott did most of the damage at the plate: Garduno scored two runs while going 2-for-3, while Prescott went 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI. That triple marked the first that Prescott hit this season. Paige Person was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.
Lake Placid hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Frostproof struck out ten times.
Meanwhile, Okeechobee came up short against South Fork on Tuesday, falling 11-1. The loss continues a trend for the Brahmans in their meetings with the Bulldogs: they've now lost eight in a row.
Okeechobee saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Melaine Bonilla, who went 2-for-3 with one double.
Okeechobee's defeat dropped their record down to 5-12. As for Lake Placid, the victory got them back to even at 10-10.
Okeechobee's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lake Placid has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .464. It's a different story for Okeechobee, though, as they've only averaged .318. Will they be able to contain Lake Placid's hitters?
Lake Placid beat Okeechobee 11-7 in their previous matchup back in March. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Dragons since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
