Palm Harbor University is 2-8 against East Lake since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. The Hurricanes will square off against the Eagles at 7:00 p.m. Palm Harbor University's pitching crew has only allowed 2.8 runs per game this season, so East Lake's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Palm Harbor University can't be too worried about heading out to take on East Lake: they just beat Osceola at home, who had been dominant on their own field up to that point. The Hurricanes came out on top against the Warriors by a score of 6-3 on Wednesday. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Hurricanes.
Mylie Stout made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out nine batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 16 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run.
In other batting news, Emma Shipley and Jessica Baker did most of the damage at the plate: Shipley went 1-for-4 with one home run and three RBI, while Baker went 2-for-3 with one home run. That's the most hits Baker has posted since back in March.
Meanwhile, East Lake waltzed into their game on Tuesday with six straight wins... but they left with seven. They never let the Royals get on the board and left with a 16-0 win. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 15 matchups by six runs or more this season.
Like Palm Harbor University, East Lake also got a great game from a two-way player: Lucy Mondok. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Mondok was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and three RBI.
In other batting news, East Lake got a big performance out of Ali Sheffield, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Addison Post also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
East Lake hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least four batters in four consecutive contests.
East Lake's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-4. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.1 runs over those games. As for Palm Harbor University, their record now sits at 20-5.
Palm Harbor University came out on top in a nail-biter against East Lake in their previous matchup on April 1st, sneaking past 2-0. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Hurricanes since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
