Belleview is 9-1 against Leesburg since February of 2016, and they'll have a chance to extend that success in Monday's first game. The Belleview Rattlers will head out on the road to take on the Leesburg Yellow Jackets at 7:00 p.m. Belleview is no doubt hoping to put an end to a three-game streak of away losses.
Last Friday, it was close, but Belleview sidestepped South Lake for a 4-3 win. The victory was just what Belleview needed coming off of a 21-3 defeat in their prior matchup.
Belleview's win was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Jayden Fortune, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Ethan Gifford, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all two of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Leesburg fell victim to a tough 12-5 loss at the hands of Lake Minneola on Friday. Leesburg has now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Jay Smart made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a stolen base. Another player making a difference was Aiden Sustarsic, who went 1-for-3 with a home run.
Belleview's victory ended a four-game drought at home and bumped them up to 9-10. As for Leesburg, their defeat dropped their record down to 4-13.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart in Monday's first game as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Belleview has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Leesburg struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Belleview skirted past Leesburg 5-4 in their previous meeting back in March. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Leesburg's Dominick Venta, who didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Belleview still be able to contain Venta? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
