Homer hasn't had much luck against Palmer recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Mariners will host the Moose at 6:00 p.m. After the two teams made easy work of their previous opponents, one won't be so lucky on Thursday.
Homer will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Thursday, then bounced right back against Grace Christian on Friday. The Mariners blew past the Grizzlies 11-1. With that victory, the Mariners brought their scoring average up to 6.4 runs per game.
Clyde Clemens was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out eight over four innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts he has posted since back in April. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two runs. Homer is undefeated when Clemens posts two or more stolen bases, but 5-6 otherwise.
CJ Burns
| 05/16/25 vs Grace Christian | 3 |
| 04/12/25 vs Petersburg | 2 |
| 05/09/25 @ Kenai Central | 1 |
| 05/05/25 @ Soldotna | 1 |
| 05/01/25 vs Kodiak | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on CJ Burns, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Cohen Boyd, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Meanwhile, Palmer got themselves on the board against Grace Christian on Tuesday, but Grace Christian never followed suit. They put the hurt on the Grizzlies with a sharp 16-0 win. Considering the Moose have won seven contests by more than five runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Like Homer, Palmer also got a great game from a two-way player: Tristan Barrey. On the mound, he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Barrey has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one hit in five consecutive appearances. He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double.
In other batting news, Reed Craner was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. Avery Shults was another key player, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Palmer was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .429. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in seven consecutive games.
Palmer has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 9-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.6 runs on average over those games. As for Homer, their win ended a three-game drought at home and bumped them up to 8-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Homer has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Palmer struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Homer suffered a grim 11-5 defeat to Palmer in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Mariners have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
