Baseball Preview: East Clarendon Wolverines vs. North Central Knights
East Clarendon has been on the road for two straight, but on Wednesday they'll finally head home. They will take on the North Central Knights at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both teams come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
East Clarendon gave up the first runs last Monday, but they didn't let that get them down. They came out on top against Socastee by a score of 9-4.
Foster Matthews spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned (and two unearned) runs on five hits.
On the hitting side, Whit Nesbitt and Graham Newsome did most of the damage at the plate: Nesbitt scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4, while Newsome scored a run while going 2-for-3. The team also got some help courtesy of Michael Morris, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
Meanwhile, North Central put the finishing touches on their sixth blowout victory of the season on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Chesterfield with a sharp 11-1 victory. The win was familiar territory for North Central who now have three in a row.
Dylan Smith was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned run off three hits (and only one walk). Smith has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive pitching appearances. Smith was also stellar in the batter's box, going 1-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and two runs.
In other batting news, North Central let Ashton Brazell and Patton Hood loose on the outfield. Brazell got on base in all four of his plate appearances with a triple, a stolen base, and two RBI, while Hood scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Hood is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now stolen at least one in the last three games he's played. Colt Babic was another key contributor, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
East Clarendon pushed their record up to 15-5 with that victory, which was their sixth straight on the road. As for North Central, their win bumped their record up to 11-9.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. East Clarendon has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like North Central struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.7. The only question left is which team can snag more.
East Clarendon was able to grind out a solid victory over North Central in their previous matchup back in March, winning 10-5. Will East Clarendon repeat their success, or does North Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
