The Academy at the Lakes Wildcats will look to defend their home field on Wednesday against the Tampa Catholic Crusaders at 4:30 p.m. Academy at the Lakes is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Academy at the Lakes unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of Wiregrass Ranch by a score of 5-3. The defeat unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for Academy at the Lakes in their matchups with Wiregrass Ranch: they've now lost three in a row.
Shannon Kendall spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and two unearned) runs on six hits and racked up ten Ks.
On the hitting side, Academy at the Lakes saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alexis Gattuso, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Even though they lost, Academy at the Lakes didn't let batters stay on the plate for long and finished the game with ten strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Wiregrass Ranch only tossed six.
Meanwhile, Tampa Catholic can now show off five landslide victories after their most recent matchup back in March. They put the hurt on Shorecrest Prep with a sharp 11-1 victory. While fans of Tampa Catholic might be used to big wins, the ten-run margin marked the team's biggest win yet this season.
Olivia Ricciardi looked comfortable as she pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (she also only allowed one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Brooke O'Gradney was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Bella Busciglio, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Academy at the Lakes' loss dropped their record down to 14-9. As for Tampa Catholic, they have been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 7-5 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Academy at the Lakes has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Tampa Catholic struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Academy at the Lakes' way against Tampa Catholic in their previous matchup back in February as Academy at the Lakes made off with a 7-1 victory. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Ricciardi, who pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (she also only allowed one walk). Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Academy at the Lakes still be able to contain Ricciardi? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
