Steinbrenner is preparing for their first district matchup of the season on Thursday. They will be playing at home against the Land O' Lakes Gators at 7:00 p.m. The timing is sure in Steinbrenner's favor as the squad sits on eight straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Land O' Lakes has been banged up by five consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.
Steinbrenner barely beat Plant the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. Steinbrenner was the clear victors by a 7-1 margin over Plant on Tuesday. The win continues a trend for the Warriors in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won three in a row.
Lilly Patton spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on three hits and racked up nine Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run any time she's pitched this season.
Callie Bergen
| 02/25/25 @ Plant | 3 |
| 02/18/25 vs Gaither | 2 |
| 03/21/24 @ Sickles | 2 |
| 05/01/24 vs Palm Harbor University | 1 |
| 04/25/24 vs Strawberry Crest | 1 |
At the plate, Steinbrenner let Callie Bergen and Jenna Fortenberry run wild. Bergen scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4, while Fortenberry scored a run and stole three bases while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave Bergen a new career-high in hits (three). Another player making a difference was Emma Kindle, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Land O' Lakes didn't have quite enough to beat Wiregrass Ranch on Tuesday and fell 6-5.
Taliah Murria was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, she tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Murria was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 3-for-4.
In other batting news, Mariah Thompson made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in two of her four plate appearances.
Land O' Lakes now has a losing record of 1-2. As for Steinbrenner, they now have a winning record of 2-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Steinbrenner has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Land O' Lakes struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Steinbrenner was able to grind out a solid victory over Land O' Lakes in their previous meeting back in March of 2024, winning 4-1. Will Steinbrenner repeat their success, or does Land O' Lakes have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
