Clarion Area is 9-1 against Cranberry Area since April of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Bobcats will look to defend their home field against the Berries at 4:15 p.m. Clarion Area is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.6 runs per game this season.
Clarion Area will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Friday, then bounced right back against Union/Allegheny-Clarion Valley on Monday. The Bobcats came out on top against Union/Allegheny-Clarion Valley by a score of 10-5. The Bobcats haven't had any issues with Union/Allegheny-Clarion Valley recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Derek Smail
| 04/28/25 @ Union/Allegheny-Clarion Valley | 2 |
| 04/23/25 @ Clarion-Limestone | 2 |
| 04/17/25 vs North Clarion | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Keystone | 2 |
| 04/07/25 vs Karns City | 2 |
| + 2 more games |
Derek Smail was excellent, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Clarion Area's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 1-3 when he doesn't). Billy Kahle was another key player, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.
Meanwhile, Cranberry Area hadn't done well against Karns City recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Berries came out on top in a nail-biter against the Gremlins, sneaking past 7-6.
The team relied heavily on Connor Morrow, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Jake McCloskey also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Cranberry Area hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Karns City struck out seven times.
Cranberry Area is on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 6-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.7 runs on average over those games. As for Clarion Area, they pushed their record up to 7-3 with the victory, which was their fourth straight on the road.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Clarion Area has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Cranberry Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Clarion Area took their win against Cranberry Area in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 12-0 score. Will the Bobcats repeat their success, or do the Berries have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
