The Lake Placid Dragons will head out on the road to challenge the Lakewood Ranch Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lake Placid's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They blew past Clewiston 26-0. The Dragons haven't had any issues with the Tigers recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive win against them.
Emily Tharp made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in March. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring four runs while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances.
In other batting news, Natalie Velozo was incredible, going 2-for-3 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March. Hadlee Prescott was another key player, getting on base in all four of her plate appearances with four runs, four RBI, and one stolen base.
Lake Placid kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Clewiston only managed one hit.
Meanwhile, Lakewood Ranch entered their tilt with Bayshore on Friday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They put the hurt on the Bruins with a sharp 20-0 victory. That 20 run margin sets a new team best for the Mustangs this season.
Like Lake Placid, Lakewood Ranch also got a great game from a two-way player: Bella Toscano. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit (and not a single walk). Toscano was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with five RBI, two doubles, and one run.
In other batting news, Lakewood Ranch let Sarah Haynie and Shayla Butler run wild. Haynie went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple, while Butler went 2-for-3 with one home run, five RBI, and three runs. Elli Wiegand also deserves some recognition as she got her first hit of the season.
Lakewood Ranch pushed their record up to 7-7 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Lake Placid, the win got them back to even at 8-8.
Tuesday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lake Placid hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .381. However, it's not like Lakewood Ranch struggles in that department as they've averaged .360. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lake Placid came up short against Lakewood Ranch in their previous meeting back in March, falling 7-4. Can Lake Placid avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
