Central hasn't had much luck against Lecanto recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Bears will venture away from home to square off against the Panthers at 7:00 p.m. Neither Central nor Lecanto posted many runs in their last games, so it might be the pitching crews that decide this one.
Central was handed a seven-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Friday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Citrus a 2-0 shutout. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Bears as it put an end to their five-game losing streak.
Tristan King made a big impact no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in nine consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in February of 2024.
King wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Korbin Baskind, who went 1-for-3 with one double and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Lecanto hadn't done well against The Villages Charter recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Monday. The Panthers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-0 win over the Buffalo. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Panthers have posted since March 13th.
Not much got past Dylan Czerwinski, who gave up just three hits and racked up nine Ks to keep The Villages Charter off the board. Czerwinski also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Lecanto is 4-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 2-14 otherwise.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Tommy Wilson, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with one stolen base and one RBI. Garrett Pitzer was another key player, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3.
Central now has a winning record of 11-10. As for Lecanto, their record is now 6-15.
Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Lecanto in their previous matchup back in March of 2024, sneaking past 5-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bears since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
