Mulberry is 1-9 against Winter Haven since February of 2016 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Mulberry Panthers are taking a road trip to challenge the Winter Haven Blue Devils at 7:00 p.m. Mulberry will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.
On Monday, Mulberry beat Davenport 7-4.
Haylie Hightower spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered four earned runs on 12 hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent : she hasn't given up more than one walk any time she's pitched this season.
On the hitting side, Mulberry let Kensingten Danforth and Zoe Petersen run wild. Danforth went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one double, while Petersen scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Petersen also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Lylah Jones was another key player, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Winter Haven, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Thursday. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Lakeland an 11-0 shutout on Monday. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Blue Devils considering their two-run performance the contest before.
Kinsey Godwin made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Godwin was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.
In other pitching news, Leyla Roberts looked comfortable as she pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, she gave up only zero walks, the fewest she's had since back in February of 2024.
Back at the plate, Winter Haven got a massive performance out of Stephanie Dye, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, three runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Peyton Shelby, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI.
The win got Mulberry back to even at 4-4. As for Winter Haven, the victory snapped their losing streak at five games and leaves them with a 2-5 record.
Mulberry suffered a grim 8-2 defeat to Winter Haven when the teams last played back in April of 2019. Can Mulberry avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
