Lakeland hasn't had much luck against Western Branch recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. After both having extra time off, the two teams will shake off the rust and duke it out at 5:45 p.m.
Last Thursday, Lakeland came up short against Deep Creek and fell 8-3. The Cavaliers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, Western Branch made easy work of Isle of Wight Academy last Thursday and carried off a 14-1 victory. The result was nothing new for the Bruins, who have now won six contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Haylee Bandura tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only two hits over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Marissa Bernheimer, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, seven RBI, and two runs. Those seven RBI gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Maddie Lemasters, who got on base in all four of her plate appearances with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI.
Western Branch always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .594. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Western Branch's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.3 runs over those games. As for Lakeland, their loss dropped their record down to 2-4.
Lakeland might still be hurting after the 16-2 defeat they got from Western Branch in their previous matchup on April 3rd. Can the Cavaliers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
