Panthers
| 02/20/26 @ South Lake | 5 |
| 02/17/26 vs Windermere | 2 |
| 02/13/26 vs Lake Minneola | 4 |
| 02/11/26 vs Apopka | 4 |
| 02/10/26 vs Tavares | 18 |
The Eustis Panthers are taking a road trip to face off against the Mount Dora Hurricanes at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Eustis is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Eustis' pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They came out on top against South Lake by a score of 5-0. The Panthers haven't had any issues with the Eagles recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.
Braeden Barnes made a big impact no matter where he played. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 14 over seven innings pitched. Barnes was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
In other batting news, Tyler Heine was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Ethan Jackson was another key player, going 1-for-2 with one run and one RBI.
Eustis kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Mount Dora). Everything went their way against Lake Weir on Monday as they made off with a 28-2 win. The team's explosion at the plate also rewarded Mount Dora with their most commanding win of the season.
Mount Dora gave Avery Fortenberry the start and clearly made the right call: he pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Luke Fullen and Brady Smith did most of the damage at the plate: Fullen got on base in four of his five plate appearances with four runs, three RBI, and one double, while Smith got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those three RBI gave Fullen a new career-high. Evan Nelan also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Eustis' record now sits at 4-1. As for Mount Dora, their record is now 4-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Eustis has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Mount Dora struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 2.7 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Eustis couldn't quite get it done against Mount Dora when the teams last played back in April of 2025 as they fell 6-1. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
