The South Sumter Raiders are taking a road trip to face off against the Forest Wildcats at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. South Sumter will be strutting in after a win while Forest will be coming in after a defeat.
On Thursday, South Sumter needed a bit of extra time to put away Hernando. They walked away with an 8-4 victory over the Leopards. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Raiders.
Raven Parker made a big impact no matter where she played. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 13 batters over eight innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. Parker was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with one home run and two RBI.
In other batting news, Maddox Adams was incredible, scoring two runs while getting on base in four of her five plate appearances. Emily Barnes was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
South Sumter kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 15 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least nine hits in four consecutive games.
For some reason, the away team has come away with the win the last four times Forest and Lake Minneola have met, but the home crowd finally got their W on Friday. The Wildcats fell just short of the Hawks by a score of 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Wildcats have suffered since March 11th.
Jaiden Prestipino made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-4. Another player making a difference was Rilynn Fountain, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Forest's defeat ended a three-game streak of away wins and brought them to 10-9. As for South Sumter, their record now sits at 12-6.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. South Sumter hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .319. However, it's not like Forest struggles in that department as they've averaged .352. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
South Sumter beat Forest 7-4 when the teams last played last Friday. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
