The Lakeland Preparatory Lions will venture away from home to take on the Haywood Tomcats at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Lakeland Preparatory is coming into the matchup hot, having won their last eight games.
On Tuesday, Lakeland Preparatory got the win against Douglass by a conclusive 16-1. Considering the Lions have won nine games by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Peeler Easton was a standout: he went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. Wyatt Helton also deserves some recognition as he launched his first home run of the season.
Lakeland Preparatory was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .562. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .452 or higher in six consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, while Haywood put up plenty of runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Bolton. The Tomcats put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 12-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Tomcats in their matchups with the Wildcats: they've now won five in a row.
Cordarion Jelks and Owen Stanley were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Jelks tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Stanley tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Haywood is 4-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 2-14 otherwise. At the plate, Jelks scored a run while getting on base in two of his four plate appearances, while Stanley scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-3. What's more, Stanley posted two RBI, the most he's had since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kevion Woodland, who scored two runs and stole three bases. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Jaziel Santiago, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Lakeland Preparatory's win was their 11th straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-2. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 14.2 runs over those games. As for Haywood, their record is now 6-15.
Haywood's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lakeland Preparatory hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .365. It's a different story for Haywood, though, as they've only averaged .253. Will they be able to contain Lakeland Preparatory's hitters? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
