The Riverview Sarasota Rams will face off against the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Riverview Sarasota sitting on 14 straight wins and Lakewood Ranch on five.
Riverview Sarasota had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the seven-run drubbing they dealt Manatee on Tuesday. The Rams never let the Hurricanes get on the board and left with a 7-0 victory. Considering the Rams have won six games by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Allison Cole
| 04/01/25 vs Manatee | 14 |
| 03/31/25 vs Lemon Bay | 8 |
| 03/27/25 @ Charlotte | 13 |
| 03/25/25 @ Palmetto | 19 |
| 03/13/25 vs Sarasota | 9 |
| + 8 more games |
Not much got past Allison Cole, who gave up just a hit and racked up 14 Ks to keep Manatee off the board. Cole has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in 13 consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Nicolette Forkan was excellent, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Brinly Dimon also deserves some recognition as she hit her first double of the season.
Riverview Sarasota always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .548. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Manatee only posted an OBP of .091.
Meanwhile, Lakewood Ranch earned an 8-4 win over Lake Placid on Tuesday.
Jenna May spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on eight hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kendal McCoy, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Maddison Anderson, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.
Riverview Sarasota pushed their record up to 14-0 with the victory, which was their 18th straight at home dating back to last season. As for Lakewood Ranch, they now have a winning record of 8-7.
Lakewood Ranch's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Wednesday. Riverview Sarasota has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 13.3 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Lakewood Ranch, though, as they've been averaging only 4.1 strikeouts. Will Riverview Sarasota keep running through batters, or will the Mustangs buck the trend?
Riverview Sarasota was able to grind out a solid win over Lakewood Ranch when the teams last played back in February, winning 4-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rams since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
