Cypress Lake is 1-9 against Island Coast since April of 2018 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Panthers will head out on the road to take on the Gators at 7:00 p.m. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
Cypress Lake is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Monday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Port Charlotte, sneaking past 4-2. The game was the first time the Panthers have beaten the Pirates on their field since February 22, 2023.
Luigi Smith was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one triple. That's the most runs he has posted since back in February.
Smith wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Harrison Small, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Island Coast entered their tilt with Evangelical Christian on Thursday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 5-4 W against the Sentinels. That's two games straight that the Gators have won by just one run.
Hayden Hudson looked comfortable as he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Island Coast's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 19-6. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Cypress Lake, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-15.
Cypress Lake suffered a grim 10-3 defeat to Island Coast in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Panthers 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
