The Inspiration Academy Lions will take on the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Lakewood Ranch took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Inspiration Academy, who comes in off a win.
Inspiration Academy took a loss when they played away from home on Friday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Tuesday. They blew past Palmetto 11-1. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won ten matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Elle Hildreth spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up 12 Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in nine consecutive appearances.
Amelia Mejias
| 04/22/25 vs Palmetto | 2 |
| 04/15/25 vs Clearwater | 1 |
| 04/07/25 @ Bradenton Christian | 1 |
| 03/08/25 vs Osceola | 1 |
| 04/09/24 @ Bradenton Christian | 1 |
On the hitting side, Avery Bouquin and Amelia Mejias did most of the damage at the plate: Bouquin went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI, while Mejias went 3-for-4 with two doubles, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those two doubles gave Mejias a new career-high. Jade Carnahan was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Inspiration Academy kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Palmetto only managed two hits.
Sarasota hit Lakewood Ranch with a four-run first inning on Tuesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Mustangs fell just short of the Sailors by a score of 9-8. The defeat continues a trend for the Mustangs in their meetings with the Sailors: they've now lost six in a row.
Lakewood Ranch saw seven different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lexi Meneely, who went 2-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, and one RBI. Another was Corin Soria, who went 3-for-4 with one RBI.
Inspiration Academy is on a roll lately: they've won 16 of their last 18 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 22-6 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.9 runs over those games. As for Lakewood Ranch, their loss dropped their record down to 12-10.
Inspiration Academy took their victory against Lakewood Ranch when the teams last played back in February by a conclusive 16-7 score. Will the Lions repeat their success, or do the Mustangs have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
