The Clinton Maroons will face off against the Warrensburg-Latham Cardinals at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Warrensburg-Latham is facing Clinton at the wrong time: Clinton suffered their first home loss of the season on Saturday and they're likely out for redemption. They came up short against the Chiefs, falling 16-4.
Colton Walker was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 3-for-4. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Josh Bass, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Warrensburg-Latham came tearing into Friday's matchup with nine straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 7.9 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They never let the Redskins get on the board and left with an 11-0 victory. Considering the Cardinals have won eight contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Trenton Bridges was a major factor no matter where he played. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over five innings pitched. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up a single earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Evan Gottman, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in RBI (three). Nick Shelsta was another key player, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Warrensburg-Latham was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in four consecutive games.
Warrensburg-Latham pushed their record up to 12-1 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Clinton, their defeat dropped their record down to 5-5.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Clinton has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.7 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Warrensburg-Latham struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Clinton came out on top in a nail-biter against Warrensburg-Latham in their previous matchup back in May of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. Will the Maroons repeat their success, or do the Cardinals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
