Baseball Game Preview: McClatchy Lions vs. Kennedy Cougars

Lions

Runs

03/26/25 vs Kennedy	11
03/24/25 vs Cordova	18
03/21/25 @ West Park	5
03/19/25 vs West Park	9
03/11/25 @ Cordova	8
+ 6 more games

For the second straight game, McClatchy will face off against Kennedy. A feisty cat fight will be fought as McClatchy Lions face off against Kennedy Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. McClatchy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9 runs per game this season.

McClatchy's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Kennedy 11-0. The victory continues a trend for the Lions in their matchups with the Cougars: they've now won nine in a row.

Nico Chandler made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. Chandler was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.

In other batting news, Elias Ortega and Jace Martinez did most of the damage at the plate: Ortega scored a run and stole three bases while going 1-for-2, while Martinez scored two runs and stole two bases while getting on base in two of his three plate appearances. Those two stolen bases gave Martinez a new career-high.

McClatchy always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .645. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

McClatchy's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 10-1. Those victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Kennedy, they have been struggling recently as they've lost eight of their last ten games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-11 record this season.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Friday as neither team is afraid to steal. McClatchy has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Kennedy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.1 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.