Baseball Game Preview: Saranac Chiefs vs. Northeastern Clinton Cougars

For the second straight game, Saranac will face off against Northeastern Clinton. The Chiefs will venture away from home to face off against the Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Saranac is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.8 runs per game this season.

Saranac is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Thursday. Everything went their way against Northeastern Clinton as they made off with a 14-1 victory. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.

Adrian Barnes

Earned Runs

05/12/26 @ Plattsburgh	8
05/22/26 vs Saranac Lake	2
04/25/26 @ Fort Ann	2
05/28/26 vs Northeastern Clinton	1
05/05/26 @ Tupper Lake	1
+ 1 more games

Adrian Barnes made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. Saranac is 6-2 when Barnes allows one or fewer earned runs, but 6-8 otherwise. Barnes was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played.

In other pitching news, Caleb Champagne looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.

Back at the plate, Wyatt Barton and Matt Owen did most of the damage at the plate: Barton went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs, while Owen went 2-for-3 with three runs and two RBI. That's the most RBI Owen has posted since May 1st. Another player making a difference was Ian Lawrenz, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Saranac kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Saranac is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five games. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-10 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Northeastern Clinton, they moved to 15-7 with that defeat, which also ended their seven-game winning streak.