The Lakewood Rangers will head out on the road to face off against the Buckeye Bucks at 5:00 p.m. on Monday. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (Lakewood: 3.7, Buckeye: 3.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Lakewood is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 16 runs last Saturday, they were much more limited against Normandy on Monday. They fell just short of the Invaders by a score of 1-0. It was the first time this season that Lakewood let down their fans at home.
Meanwhile, Buckeye scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Saturday. They were the clear victor by a 16-2 margin over Firelands. With that win, Buckeye brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Olivia Matras and Lilly Young made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, Matras pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Meanwhile, Young struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in 11 consecutive pitching appearances. At bat, Matras scored a run while going 1-for-1, while Young scored two runs while going 2-for-2.
In other batting news, Buckeye let Casandra Minarchick and Madison Lichty loose on the outfield. Minarchick scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-3, while Lichty scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of her four plate appearances. The team also got some help courtesy of Faith Shaw, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.
Lakewood has been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests, which put a noticeable dent in their 7-3 record this season. As for Buckeye, their victory was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-6.
Lakewood beat Buckeye 9-4 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Will Lakewood repeat their success, or does Buckeye have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
