The Inspiration Academy Lions will take on the Lakeland Christian Vikings at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
Inspiration Academy was handed a heart-breaking two-run defeat in their last match, but they sure didn't let that happen against Clearwater on Tuesday. The Lions blew past the Tornadoes 15-4. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won nine contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Inspiration Academy got a massive performance out of Jade Carnahan, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was Mya Ferrari, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs.
Carnahan wasn't the only one working in the home run department: Inspiration Academy lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That's the most home runs they've posted since back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, Lakeland Christian was able to grind out a solid win over Davenport on Monday, taking the game 12-8.
Peyton McNab was a standout: she scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-3. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in RBI (three). Paityn Donalson was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Inspiration Academy is on a roll lately: they've won 15 of their last 16 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 21-5 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.3 runs over those games. As for Lakeland Christian, their win bumped their record up to 11-7.
Lakeland Christian's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Inspiration Academy has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.6 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Lakeland Christian, though, as they've been averaging only 3.4 strikeouts. Will Inspiration Academy keep running through batters, or will the Vikings buck the trend?
Everything went Inspiration Academy's way against Lakeland Christian when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Inspiration Academy made off with a 12-1 victory. Do the Lions have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Vikings turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
