Fort Meade hasn't had much luck against Winter Haven recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Fort Meade Miners will look to take advantage of their home field for the first time this season as they take on the Winter Haven Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Fort Meade has three straight victories, Winter Haven has three straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Monday, everything went Fort Meade's way against Davenport as Fort Meade made off with a 15-3 win. The result was nothing new for the Miners, who have now won three matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Ariel Ramirez made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She struck out nine batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and only one walk). That's the fewest hits she has allowed since back in March of 2024. She was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 1-for-3. That stolen base marked the first that she snagged this season.
In other batting news, Marleigh Carroll was a standout: she scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of her plate appearances. She also hit a triple, marking her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Ryleigh Grace, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Fort Meade kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Winter Haven lost 14-4 to Sebring on Friday.
Winter Haven saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Makiah McPhee, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Fort Meade pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.3 runs on average over those games. As for Winter Haven, their defeat dropped their record down to 1-3.
Winter Haven's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Fort Meade has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 11.2 hits per game. It's a different story for Winter Haven, though, as they've been averaging 11 hits. Given Fort Meade's sizable advantage in that area, Winter Haven will need to find a way to close that gap.
Fort Meade couldn't quite finish off Winter Haven when the teams last played back in April of 2022 and fell 3-1. Will Fort Meade have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other softball content.
