Cloverdale is 2-8 against St. Helena since May of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. Cloverdale will head out to take on St. Helena at 4:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Cloverdale sitting on nine straight wins and St. Helena on three.
Cloverdale's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Friday. They blew past Middletown 10-0. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won five games by ten runs or more so far this season.
Camryn Bird was a standout: she went 3-for-4 with two runs and one triple. Another player making a difference was Camryn Donahoo, who scored two runs while going 2-for-4.
Cloverdale was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .464. The last time their batting average was this high was back in March of 2024.
Meanwhile, St. Helena was not the first on the board last Wednesday, but they got there more often. Everything went their way against Salesian College Preparatory as St. Helena made off with an 11-3 victory. The Saints are also no stranger to big wins: their blowout was the sixth contest they've won by 6+ runs this season.
Tahlia Smith was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in February. She was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 1-for-5. She has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times she's played.
In other batting news, Lillian Grimes was incredible, going 2-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. That home run marked the first that she launched this season. The team also got some help courtesy of Olive Filippini, who went 2-for-5 with one home run and three RBI.
St. Helena's record is now 7-4. As for Cloverdale, they pushed their record up to 9-0 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home.
Tuesday's match will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Cloverdale hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .353. However, it's not like St. Helena struggles in that department as they've averaged .339. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Cloverdale couldn't quite get it done against St. Helena in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 5-2. Can Cloverdale avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
