If Mandarin was feeling good off their 14-1 takedown of Ribault last Monday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Mandarin Mustangs fell 6-1 to the Oakleaf Knights on Tuesday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to Mandarin of the 6-2 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2023.
Mandarin saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cole Rusak, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
On Oakleaf's side, Landon McDonald spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on six hits and racked up seven Ks. McDonald has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Angel Perez was excellent, scoring a run while going 4-for-4. Another player making a difference was Jorden Clarke, who scored three runs while going 2-for-4.
Mandarin's loss dropped their record down to 7-16. As for Oakleaf, the win was the fourth in a row for them, bringing their record for this year to 14-8.
Mandarin will head out on the road to square off against Buchholz at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Buchholz's pitching crew has only allowed 3.5 runs per game this season, so Mandarin's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Oakleaf, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Interlachen at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Interlachen is strutting in with some hitting muscle, as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
