Baseball Preview: Seminole Warhawks vs. Clearwater Tornadoes
Seminole is 8-2 against Clearwater since April of 2015, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Seminole Warhawks will look to defend their home field against the Clearwater Tornadoes at 7:00 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Seminole took a loss when they played away from home on Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Monday. They narrowly escaped with a win as the squad sidled past Palm Harbor University 6-5.
Seminole got a great performance from Bronson Shafer as he didn't allow a single earned run and only one hit over 4.1 innings pitched.
At the plate, Seminole's victory was truly a team effort as two different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Austin Duffy, who scored a run while going 1-for-4. Alex Espaillat was another key contributor, scoring two runs.
Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous three contests, Clearwater brought some dynamite into their most recent match. They were the clear victor by a 15-2 margin over Hernando Christian Academy on Friday. Considering Clearwater's hitters had been struggling lately, the high-scoring outing was a much-needed turnaround.
Michael O'Hanlan made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. O'Hanlan has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive pitching appearances. O'Hanlan was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
In other pitching news, Brayden Howard looked comfortable as he pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Logan Bogue, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 2-for-2. Another player making a difference was Dylan Wood, who went 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI, and a double.
Seminole's win bumped their record up to 17-6. As for Clearwater, their victory bumped their record up to 10-12.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Seminole has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Clearwater struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.5. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Everything went Seminole's way against Clearwater when the teams last played back in April of 2023 as Seminole made off with a 10-0 win. Does Seminole have another victory up their sleeve, or will Clearwater turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
