Mulberry has not done well against Lake Gibson recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Mulberry Panthers narrowly escaped with a victory as the team sidled past the Lake Gibson Braves 5-3. The win made it back-to-back victories for Mulberry.
Marissa Malkowski spent all seven innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and one unearned) runs on seven hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up a single walk in four consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Lorianys Castanon Cruz, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played. A'lejah Washington was another key contributor, going 1-for-4 with a triple, two RBI, and a run.
On Lake Gibson's side, they saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kylie Vasquez, who went 2-for-4 with a double.
Even though they lost, Lake Gibson hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Mulberry struck out 11 times.
Mulberry pushed their record up to 6-3 with that win, which was their third straight on the road. Those good results were due in large part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs per game. As for Lake Gibson, they are on a six-game losing streak that has dropped them down to 1-9.
Both squads will have to hit the road in their upcoming games. Mulberry will be staying on the road on Tuesday to face off against Ridge Community at 7:30 p.m. Mulberry's pitching crew has only allowed 3.2 runs per game this season, so Ridge Community's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Lake Gibson, they will head out on the road to challenge Lakeland Christian at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
