The Montverde Academy Eagles will square off against the Hagerty Huskies at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Montverde Academy sitting on three straight victories and Hagerty on four.
Montverde Academy is headed into this one coming off a big win against nationally ranked Lake Brantley (Montverde Academy was ranked 24th at the time). Montverde Academy put the hurt on Lake Brantley with a sharp 8-0 win on Friday. Considering the Eagles have won eight matches by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Not much got past Nevaeh Williams, who gave up just a hit and racked up 16 Ks to keep Lake Brantley off the board. Williams has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Danika Spinogatti, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Luna Taboas, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-4.
Montverde Academy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .517. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Lake Brantley only posted an OBP of .083.
Meanwhile, Hagerty was not the first on the board last Thursday, but they got there more often. They had just enough and edged out Winter Springs 11-9. That's two games straight that the Huskies have won by exactly two runs.
Nicole Thompson was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. That's the most runs she has posted since back in May of 2024. Ana Roman was another key player, going a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run.
Hagerty's victory was their tenth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-1. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of 3.5 runs across that stretch. As for Montverde Academy, their record is now 12-1.
Montverde Academy's speedy runners might be the difference in Monday's game. Montverde Academy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Hagerty, though, as they've been averaging only 1.2 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Montverde Academy continue to outrun the ball?
Montverde Academy took their win against Hagerty in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 by a conclusive 7-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for Montverde Academy since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
