The Cypress Creek Bears will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Ocoee Knights at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
On Tuesday, Cypress Creek got the win against Dr. Phillips by a conclusive 7-1. The Bears haven't had any issues with the Panthers recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Amanda Cintron was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over seven innings pitched. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brianna Velez, who scored a run and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Alondra Lozada, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Ocoee, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Olympia an 11-0 shutout on Tuesday.
Like Cypress Creek, Ocoee also got a great game from a two-way player: Jadore Thompson. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. Thompson was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Shyanne Marble was incredible, firing off two home runs, five stolen bases, and four runs while going 5-for-5. Those home runs marked the first that she launched this season. Kylie Holden was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
Ocoee lost a few balls and finished the game with two home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in April of 2024.
The victory got Ocoee back to even at 5-5. As for Cypress Creek, their win bumped their record up to 10-1.
Ocoee's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Cypress Creek has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Ocoee, though, as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.4 strikeouts. Will Cypress Creek keep running through batters, or will Ocoee buck the trend?
Cypress Creek came out on top in a nail-biter against Ocoee in their previous meeting back in April of 2017, sneaking past 9-8. Does Cypress Creek have another victory up their sleeve, or will Ocoee turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
