The Lakeland Christian Vikings will venture away from home to take on the Foundation Academy Lions at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Lakeland Christian is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Seffner Christian as they made off with an 11-1 win. The Vikings might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won nine matchups by nine runs or more this season.
Paityn Donalson
| 05/06/25 vs Seffner Christian | 3 |
| 05/01/25 vs Seffner Christian | 3 |
| 04/29/25 vs Santa Fe Catholic | 2 |
Paityn Donalson was incredible, going 1-for-2 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. She has been hot recently, having posted two or more stolen bases the last three times she's played. Another player making a difference was Presley Young, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one RBI.
Meanwhile, while Foundation Academy put up plenty of runs on Wednesday, the same can't be said for Cambridge Christian. The Lions were the clear victors by an 11-0 margin over the Lancers. The victory was familiar territory for the Lions, who have now won four contests in a row.
Riley Winters was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, she posted four strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Norah Ranaudo, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in April of 2024. Sophia Smith was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Foundation Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .462. They are a perfect 10-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Foundation Academy pushed their record up to 16-7 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.5 runs over those games. As for Lakeland Christian, the win was the fifth in a row for them, bringing their record up to 14-7.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lakeland Christian hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .341. However, it's not like Foundation Academy struggles in that department as they've averaged .316. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lakeland Christian might still be hurting after the 16-0 defeat they got from Foundation Academy in their previous matchup back in May of 2022. Can the Vikings avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
