The Clinton Maroons will head out on the road to face off against the Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley Falcons at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. The two teams are sauntering into the matchup backed by comfortable wins in their prior games.
Clinton had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the eight-run drubbing they dealt Sullivan on Tuesday. The Maroons never let the Redskins get on the board and left with an 8-0 victory. That eight run margin sets a new team best for the Maroons this season.
Jaeden Bell looked comfortable as he pitched 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Colton Walker, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. Cole Fentress also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley waltzed into their game on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Cornjerkers with a sharp 15-0 win. The Falcons might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won three contests by ten runs or more this season.
Brayden Elliott made a big impact no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in May of 2024. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 3-for-3.
In other batting news, Parker Baillie was incredible, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four RBI, and two runs. Another player making a difference was David Hull, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4.
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least ten hits in three consecutive matches.
Clinton pushed their record up to 3-3 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.2 runs on average over those games. As for Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Clinton has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Clinton skirted past Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley 3-2 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Maroons since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
