After two games on the road, Lakewood Ranch is heading back home. They will take on the Riverview Sarasota Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Monday. The last four games Lakewood Ranch has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Last Thursday, Lakewood Ranch didn't have quite enough to beat Braden River and fell 2-1. That's two games in a row now that Lakewood Ranch has lost by just one run.
Alex Vailliancourt was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run over 7.1 innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances.
On the hitting side, Lakewood Ranch saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Kaitz, who went 1-for-5 with a stolen base and an RBI.
Meanwhile, after a string of six wins, Riverview Sarasota's good fortune finally ran out on Friday. They fell just short of Barron Collier by a score of 2-1.
Morgan Peggs was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit while striking out six over 4.2 innings pitched.
Lakewood Ranch's defeat dropped their record down to 9-9-1. As for Riverview Sarasota, their loss ended a five-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-11.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lakewood Ranch has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Riverview Sarasota struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.2. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lakewood Ranch skirted past Riverview Sarasota 3-1 in their previous matchup back in March. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Peggs, who didn't allow a single hit, only two earned runs while striking out six over 5.1 innings pitched. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Lakewood Ranch still be able to contain Peggs? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
