The Clermont Northeastern Rockets will square off against the Miami Valley Christian Academy Lions at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Clermont Northeastern didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-11), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They won by a run and slipped past Felicity-Franklin 4-3.
The team relied heavily on Rowdy Etling, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. That RBI was his first of the season.
Meanwhile, Miami Valley Christian Academy entered their tilt with New Miami on Thursday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Vikings with a sharp 16-2 win. The result was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won five games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Brayden Riser made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. Riser was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in two of his three plate appearances with three runs and one RBI. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Evan Lafferty was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with three runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024. Another player making a difference was Owen Nickum, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with three RBI, one run, and one double.
Miami Valley Christian Academy was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .455. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .300 or higher in three consecutive matchups.
Miami Valley Christian Academy's victory bumped their record up to 9-2. As for Clermont Northeastern, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Clermont Northeastern has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Miami Valley Christian Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging 6.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Clermont Northeastern suffered a grim 12-2 defeat to Miami Valley Christian Academy in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Rockets 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.
