Eustis is a perfect 10-0 against The Villages Charter since March of 2017 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Panthers will challenge the Buffalo at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Eustis is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They never let Mount Dora get on the board and left with a 10-0 victory. The win was nothing new for the Panthers as they're now sitting on seven straight.
Carson Roden
| 04/29/25 vs Mount Dora | 14 |
| 02/28/25 vs Mount Dora | 13 |
| 04/14/25 vs South Lake | 12 |
| 02/25/25 vs Lake Mary | 11 |
| 04/15/25 vs Windermere | 10 |
Eustis got a great performance from Carson Roden as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 14 over six innings pitched. Those 14 strikeouts gave Roden a new career-high.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Emmy Luke, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, one triple, and one run. She is on a roll when it comes to RBI, as she's now brought in three or more in each of the last three games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Brooklyn Powhida, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Eustis kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in seven consecutive games.
Meanwhile, The Villages Charter hadn't done well against South Sumter recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Buffalo were the clear victors by a 7-0 margin over the Raiders. The game was the first time the Buffalo have beaten the Raiders on their field since March 14, 2024.
Not much got past Emily Thompson, who gave up just four hits and racked up 15 Ks to keep South Sumter off the board.
On the hitting side, Lexy Sanchez was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Zoey Schutt was another key player, getting on base in three of her four plate appearances with two runs.
The Villages Charter has been performing well recently as they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 13-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.6 runs on average over those games. As for Eustis, their win bumped their record up to 18-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Eustis has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like The Villages Charter struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Eustis came out on top in a nail-biter against The Villages Charter in their previous meeting back in March, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Panthers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
