Lake Region is 8-2 against Auburndale since March of 2020 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Thunder will look to defend their home field against the Bloodhounds at 7:00 p.m. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Auburndale will face off against a team with plenty of momentum: Lake Region extended their winning streak to five on Friday. Everything went the Thunder's way against George Jenkins as they made off with an 11-5 win. The Thunder might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won ten games by six runs or more this season.
Makenna Meadows
| 04/04/25 @ George Jenkins | 10 |
| 04/03/25 @ Fort Meade | 5 |
| 04/01/25 @ Sebring | 13 |
| 03/24/25 vs Fort Meade | 15 |
| 03/15/25 vs Inspiration Academy | 11 |
| + 10 more games |
Makenna Meadows made a splash no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out ten batters over seven innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 15 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
In other batting news, Margaret Jenkins was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing four bases while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. She is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as she's now snagged two or more in each of the last four games she's played. Kirsten Aldridge was another key player, scoring two runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Auburndale had to endure a six-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They put the hurt on Winter Haven with a sharp 12-2 victory on Thursday. The contest marked the Bloodhounds' most dominant win of the season.
Alyssa Wright and Rylee Bass did most of the damage at the plate: Wright scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2, while Bass scored two runs while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits Wright has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Abby Meadows, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-4.
Auburndale was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .385. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Winter Haven only posted a batting average of .235.
Lake Region's victory was their ninth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-2. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.0 run on average over those games. As for Auburndale, their victory bumped their record up to 5-14.
Auburndale's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lake Region has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 9.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Auburndale, though, as they've been averaging 10.2 hits. Given Lake Region's sizable advantage in that area, the Bloodhounds will need to find a way to close that gap.
Lake Region took their win against Auburndale in their previous matchup back in March by a conclusive 12-0 score. Will the Thunder repeat their success, or do the Bloodhounds have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
