The home team had won the previous three meetings between Bartow and McKeel Academy, and McKeel Academy kept the tradition alive. The Yellow Jackets lost 7-1 to the Wildcats on Friday. The Yellow Jackets were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Wildcats apparently hadn't forgotten their loss the last time these teams played back in February of 2025.
Bartow got a good showing from Landon Davis, who pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits.
Kelan Elliott
| 03/10/26 @ Lake Gibson | 4 |
| 03/16/26 vs Okeechobee | 3 |
| 03/27/26 @ McKeel Academy | 2 |
| 03/03/26 vs Auburndale | 2 |
| 02/14/26 @ Manatee | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
At the plate, Kelan Elliott made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases. He is becoming a predictor of Bartow's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 5-1 (and 6-7 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Trillion Venz, who went 1-for-3 with three stolen bases and one RBI.
Bartow's defeat dropped their record down to 11-8. As for McKeel Academy, they pushed their record up to 8-10 with the win, which was their third straight at home.
Looking ahead, Bartow will venture away from home to challenge DeSoto County at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Yellow Jackets 4.1, the Bulldogs 3.5) so any runs scored will be well earned. As for McKeel Academy, they will host Wiregrass Ranch at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
