The Clayton Comets will head out on the road to challenge the Cleveland Rams at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Neither of those teams managed to put together many runs in their previous contests, so the offenses might be a little more motivated than usual.
Clayton managed to slip by Fuquay - Varina the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. Clayton lost 8-1 to Fuquay - Varina on Thursday. The Comets have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Clayton saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Haleigh Mohamed, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Cleveland had already won five in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.8 runs) and they went ahead and made it six on Friday. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 2-1 W against the Trojans. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Rams have posted against the Trojans since March 25, 2022.
Karsyn Hudacky was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off eight hits (and only one walk). She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in ten consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one home run and one double.
Cleveland hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in four consecutive matchups.
Cleveland pushed their record up to 9-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.1 runs on average over those games. As for Clayton, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-3.
Both Clayton and Cleveland just can't seem to miss. Clayton has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.8 hits per game. However, it's not like Cleveland struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.5 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Clayton suffered a grim 11-1 defeat to Cleveland when the teams last played back in April of 2024. Can Clayton avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
