The Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs will square off against the Manchester Greyhounds at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Lynchburg-Clay's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. They were the clear victors by a 10-0 margin over Eastern. The victory was nothing new for the Mustangs as they're now sitting on five straight.
The result came thanks to Cole Wells's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up 16 Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up a single earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Quin Wells was incredible, going 2-for-4 with four RBI, one triple, and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season. Another player making a difference was Tanner Roberts, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBI.
Lynchburg-Clay always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .583. That was just more of the same: they've now posted an OBP of .545 or higher in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Manchester, who bounced back after a loss on the road two weeks ago. Everything went their way against North Adams last Tuesday as they made off with an 11-4 win. The Greyhounds haven't had any issues with the Green Devils recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Thomas Barnhart was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out eight batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off four hits (and only one walk). Those eight strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Luke Applegate was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Clayton Colvin was another key player, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Manchester's win was their fifth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 6-3. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Lynchburg-Clay, their win bumped their record up to 11-2.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Lynchburg-Clay has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Manchester struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Lynchburg-Clay took their victory against Manchester in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 6-0 score. Do the Mustangs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Greyhounds turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
