Lake is 6-1 against Raleigh since March of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Lake Hornets will look to defend their home field against the Raleigh Lions at 7:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Lake sitting on 12 straight victories and Raleigh on three.
Last Wednesday, everything went Lake's way against Morton as Lake made off with an 11-1 win. The result was nothing new for the Hornets, who have now won 12 matchups by ten runs or more so far this season.
Wes Nester was a major factor no matter where he played. He pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. What's more, he gave up only zero earned runs, the fewest he's had over his last four contests. He was even better at the plate, scoring four runs and stealing Two bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last seven times he's played.
Jd Gibson
| 03/12/25 vs Morton | 3 |
| 03/11/25 vs Choctaw Central | 3 |
| 03/10/25 @ Richland | 1 |
| 03/07/25 @ Bay Springs | 1 |
| 03/03/25 vs Forest | 2 |
| + 6 more games |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jd Gibson, who scored four runs and stole Three bases. while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last 11 games he's played. Trey Gray was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing Three bases. while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Raleigh was able to grind out a solid victory over Pelahatchie on Tuesday, taking the game 7-4.
Like Lake, Raleigh also got a great game from a two-way player: Deuce Carter. On the mound, he struck out ten batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. The dominant performance gave Carter a new career-high in strikeouts. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances.
Carter wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Damonta Keyes, who went 1-for-3 with three RBI and one triple. Those three RBI gave Keyes a new career-high. Another was Ryder Ivy, who scored a run and stole Two bases.
Raleigh pushed their record up to 6-6 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for Lake, their victory bumped their record up to 15-2.
Raleigh's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Lake hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .408. It's a different story for Raleigh, though, as they've only averaged .224. Will they be able to contain Lake's hitters?
Lake came out on top in a nail-biter against Raleigh when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 18-17. Will Lake repeat their success, or does Raleigh have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
