Lakeland is a perfect 4-0 against Lakewood Park Christian since April of 2021 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Lakers will venture away from home to challenge the Panthers at 5:00 p.m. Lakewood Park Christian took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Lakeland, who comes in off a win.
Lakeland had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Sturgis on Thursday. The Lakers never let the Trojans get on the board and left with a 10-0 win. The victory continues a trend for the Lakers in their matchups with the Trojans: they've now won three in a row.
Dylan Bateman and Carson Mickem were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Bateman tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Mickem kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out ten over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April of 2024. At bat, Bateman scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3, while Mickem scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Levi Cook
| 04/10/25 vs Sturgis | 3 |
| 05/17/24 @ Bethany Christian | 1 |
| 04/20/24 @ Woodlan | 1 |
| 04/10/24 @ Northridge | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Levi Cook, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-2. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Garrett Pieri was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Lakeland always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .607. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sturgis only posted an OBP of .211.
Meanwhile, Lakewood Park Christian came up short against West Noble on Thursday, falling 12-1.
Lakewood Park Christian saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Caleb Schlabach, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Lakewood Park Christian's defeat was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 0-2. As for Lakeland, their record is now 2-0.
Everything went Lakeland's way against Lakewood Park Christian in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, as Lakeland made off with a 12-1 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Lakers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
