The Berkeley Prep Buccaneers and the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs, after both having extra time off, will shake off the rust and duke it out at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Berkeley Prep is coming into the matchup on a six-game losing streak.
Palm Harbor University hit Berkeley Prep with a five-run second inning last Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Buccaneers fell 10-5 to the Hurricanes.
Claire Patchen was huge no matter where she played even without the win. On the mound, she tossed five innings while giving up three earned runs off only one hit. That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in April of 2025. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs.
In other batting news, Olivia Malin and Brooklyn Blaylock did some serious damage despite the final result: Malin went 2-for-3 with two runs and one double, while Blaylock went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That double was Malin's first of the season.
Venice hit Lakewood Ranch with a seven-run sixth inning last Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mustangs fell just short of the Indians by a score of 11-9. The Mustangs have struggled against the Indians recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Linzie Hamilton made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI, two runs, and two doubles. The team also got some help courtesy of Payton Burdick, who went 2-for-4 with three runs.
Lakewood Ranch's defeat dropped their record down to 7-6. As for Berkeley Prep, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
Everything went Berkeley Prep's way against Lakewood Ranch when the teams last played back in February of 2024, as Berkeley Prep made off with a 14-4 victory. Do the Buccaneers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
