Preview: Union Spartans vs. Clinton Dark Horses
The Union Spartans will look to defend their home field on Wednesday against the Clinton Dark Horses at 6:00 p.m. Both teams have allowed few runs on average, (Union: 3.2, Clinton: 4) so any runs scored will be well earned.
In what's become a running theme this season, Union gave their fans yet another huge victory on Tuesday. Everything went their way against Lakewood as Union made off with a 10-2 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Union.
The team relied heavily on Morgan Smith, who scored two runs and stole seven bases while going 2-for-2. Chloe Smith was another key contributor, scoring two runs and stealing three bases while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Clinton fought the good fight in their extra-innings game against East Bladen on Monday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Eagles by a score of 5-4. Clinton just can't catch a break and has now endured three losses in a row.
Alivia Capps spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just zero earned (and five unearned) runs on seven hits and racked up six Ks. Those eight innings set a new season-high mark for her.
At the plate, Clinton saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Niah Torres, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Union pushed their record up to 4-2 with that victory, which was their third straight at home. They've been dominating during the matchups in that stretch too, as they've won by an average of 13 runs. As for Clinton, they now have a losing record at 3-4.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Wednesday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Union has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 13.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Clinton struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Union was able to grind out a solid win over Clinton in their previous matchup on Friday, winning 3-0. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Capps, who tossed seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits (she also didn't allow any walks). Now that she's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Union still be able to contain Capps? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
