Lakewood and Long Beach Poly are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2021, but likely not for long. The two teams, after both having extra time off, will shake off the rust and duke it out at 3:15 p.m. on Tuesday. One thing working in Lakewood’s favor is that they have posted at least ten runs in their last three matchups.

If Lakewood beats Long Beach Poly with 12 runs on Tuesday, it’s going to be the squad’s new lucky number: they’ve won their past two contests with that exact score. The Lancers blew past Woodrow Wilson 12-2 last Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Lancers, who have now won six games by seven runs or more so far this season.

Bella Polanco

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Bella Polanco made a big impact no matter where she played. She struck out six batters over seven innings while giving up just two earned runs off six hits. Those six strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also solid in the batter’s box, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base. That stolen base marked the first that she has snagged this season.

In other batting news, Lakewood let Katelynn Lewis and Jamie Ramirez run wild. Lewis went 4-for-5 with two runs, two doubles, and one triple, while Ramirez went 4-for-5 with four RBI and one run. Lewis has been hot recently, having posted three or more hits the last three times she’s played. Another player making a difference was Jaszee Childress, who went 2-for-5 with two runs and two RBI.

Lakewood hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. The team has now struck out at least three batters in four consecutive matchups.

Long Beach Poly couldn’t beat Pacifica last Wednesday even though they stacked four runs on them in the sixth inning. The Jackrabbits came up short against the Mariners, falling 13-6. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Jackrabbits, who until this contest were averaging 3.18 runs allowed.

Bailey Holder and Persjah Lam Sam stepped up to the plate in a big way. Holder went 2-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one RBI, while Lam Sam went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Emoni Lam Sam was another key player, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.

Lakewood has been performing well recently as they’ve won six of their last eight games. That’s provided a massive bump to their 10-10 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.5 runs on average over those games. As for Long Beach Poly, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 8-3.

Tuesday’s matchup will be a test for both teams’ pitchers. Lakewood hasn’t had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .360. However, it’s not like Long Beach Poly struggles in that department as they’ve averaged .462. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.

Lakewood might still be hurting after the 10-0 loss they got from Long Beach Poly when the teams last played back in March. Can the Lancers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We’ll find out soon enough.