The Lakeland Lakers will head out to square off against the Concord Minutemen at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Lakeland took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. Everything went their way against Elkhart Christian Academy as they made off with an 11-0 win. The match marked the Lakers' most dominant victory of the season.
Shakthi Ramachandran
| 05/09/25 vs Elkhart Christian Academy | 3 |
| 04/12/25 @ Churubusco | 2 |
| 04/22/25 vs Churubusco | 1 |
| 04/16/25 @ Prairie Heights | 1 |
| 03/25/25 vs Northridge | 1 |
Shakthi Ramachandran made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out eight over five innings pitched. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. Those three hits gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Rylee Amsden was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases she has posted since back in March of 2024. Kennadee Kerns also deserves some recognition as she scored her first run of the season.
Lakeland was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .480. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
Concord came out on top against Plymouth on Friday thanks in part to the team's impressive six-run sixth inning. The Minutemen came out on top against the Pilgrims/Rockies by a score of 11-7 (the very same score they lost by in their prior game). The game was the first time the Minutemen have beaten the Pilgrims/Rockies on their field since April 20, 2022.
Allison Ralston spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and four unearned) runs on eight hits.
At the plate, Cassi Reames and Esmeralda Perez did most of the damage at the plate: Reames went 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Perez went 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Janessa Bennett was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.
Lakeland's record now sits at 5-11. As for Concord, their record is now 9-7.
Lakeland couldn't quite finish off Concord when the teams last played back in May of 2024 and fell 9-7. Can the Lakers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
