The Mulberry Panthers are taking a road trip to take on the Fort Meade Miners at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. Mulberry will be strutting in after a win while Fort Meade will be coming in after a defeat.
On Thursday, Mulberry beat Lakeland 5-1. The victory continues a trend for the Panthers in their matchups with the Dreadnaughts: they've now won six in a row.
Laura Robinson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on four hits. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March of 2024.
On the hitting side, Lorianys Castanon Cruz was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. Jaylyn Oschmann also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Fort Meade didn't have quite enough to beat George Jenkins on Tuesday and fell 6-4. The Miners have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Fort Meade also let their pitcher toss all seven innings and she was also dialed-in: Nakaia Pinkston gave up just two earned (and four unearned) runs on eight hits.
At the plate, Jy'Kia Faulk and Makayla Deleon did some serious damage despite the final result: Faulk went 1-for-3 with one home run, while Deleon scored a run and stole three bases while going 1-for-3. Deleon has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last four times she's played.
Mulberry pushed their record up to 8-6 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.5 runs over those games. As for Fort Meade, their loss dropped their record down to 10-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Mulberry has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Fort Meade struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.9 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Mulberry couldn't quite get it done against Fort Meade when the teams last played back in February as they fell 7-2. Can Mulberry avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
