Baseball Preview: Clearwater Tornadoes vs. Countryside Cougars
Clearwater and Countryside are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2016, but likely not for long. The Clearwater Tornadoes will head out on the road to square off against the Countryside Cougars at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Clearwater is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
Last Monday, Clearwater was able to grind out a solid win over Zephyrhills, taking the game 9-5.
Dylan Wood made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk). Wood was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two RBI and a double.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ty Woodring, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Logan Bogue was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all two of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Countryside earned a 7-2 victory over Lakewood on Wednesday.
Coe Powell tossed a big game, striking out eight batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off five hits (and only one walk).
On the hitting side, Bryce Hickman was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Jake Nevins, who scored a run while going 2-for-3.
Clearwater is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last seven contests, which provided a massive bump to their 9-9 record this season. As for Countryside, their record now sits at 11-8.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Clearwater has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Countryside struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Clearwater came out on top in a nail-biter against Countryside in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, sneaking past 4-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for Clearwater since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
