Leon is 9-1 against Rickards since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Lions will challenge the Raiders at 4:30 p.m. Rickards took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Leon, who comes in off a win.
On Thursday, Leon got the win against Franklin County by a conclusive 8-2. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won three contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Brady Brown spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up six Ks. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances.
Max Latimer
| 02/26/26 vs Franklin County | 2 |
| 02/24/26 vs Lincoln | 2 |
| 02/20/26 vs Bainbridge | 2 |
| 02/19/26 vs Godby | 1 |
| 02/12/26 vs Rickards | 1 |
On the hitting side, Max Latimer was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs. He is becoming a predictor of Leon's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 2-3 when he doesn't). Jacob Strunk also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Port St. Joe hit Rickards with a five-run sixth inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Raiders took a 10-6 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Tiger Sharks. The Raiders have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Dylan Brown and Carlos Rolle did some serious damage despite the final result: Brown went 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double, while Rolle went 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Jonathan Packowski, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and one double.
Leon has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-4 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Rickards, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-6.
Leon got the 'W' in their previous matchup two weeks ago against Rickards by a conclusive 13-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lions since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
