The Lakeside Panthers are taking a road trip to face off against the Burke County Bears at 5:30 p.m. on Friday. Lakeside is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.2 runs per game this season.
Lakeside took a loss when they played away from home last Wednesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They had just enough and edged out Thomson 4-3.
Tyler Malloy
| 02/24/25 vs Thomson | 4 |
| 02/19/25 vs Grovetown | 0 |
| 04/16/24 vs Effingham County | 1 |
| 04/01/24 vs Burke County | 3 |
| 03/29/24 vs Evans | 1 |
| + 5 more games |
Tyler Malloy looked comfortable as he pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Brock Holcomb, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in RBI. Michael Scherer also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Burke County was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat dating back to last season. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost an 8-7 heartbreaker at the hands of Aquinas. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Skyler Brown made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one triple, two RBI, and one run. Cooper Tuell was another key player, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3.
Lakeside's victory bumped their record up to 3-1. As for Burke County, their loss dropped their record down to 0-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lakeside has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 11.5 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Burke County struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Lakeside's way against Burke County in their previous matchup last Monday, as Lakeside made off with a 12-2 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Lakeside since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
