Baseball Game Preview: Clinton Gaels vs. Auburn Rockets

The Clinton Gaels will venture away from home to square off against the Auburn Rockets at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Clinton 2.7, Auburn 1.1) so any runs scored will be well earned.

Wednesday just wasn't the day for Clinton's offense. They fell just short of Oakmont Regional by a score of 1-0 on Wednesday. The game marked the first time this year in which the Gaels were not able to get on the board.

Meanwhile, Auburn strolled into their game on Wednesday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They put the hurt on Lunenburg with a sharp 12-5 victory. The Rockets might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won seven matchups by seven runs or more this season.

The team relied heavily on Kyle McLaughlin, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-4. He also put up a triple, which was his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Lorenzo Santos-Diaz, who scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-3.

Auburn was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.

Auburn's win was their tenth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 9-0. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.8 runs over those games. As for Clinton, their defeat was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 2-1 and their overall record down to 4-2.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. Clinton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Auburn struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.